3 moves the Cleveland Cavaliers made that look good in hindsight

Kyrie Irving

If Kevin Porter is a double-edged sword due to how he can help a team offensively and hurt a team defensively, Kyrie Irving is the Excalibur of that metaphor. To say that Irving resembled a human turnstile wouldn’t be unfair. If Irving was a hockey goalie, he’d sit behind the net reading. all of this is to say he’s as bad at defense as he is at respecting other people’s cultures.

And we haven’t even gotten to the mountains of mindnumbing, and flat-out dumb things that he’s said and done. The pseudo-intellectual wanted out of Cleveland so he could be “the guy” on a team and ended up finding out no one wanted him to be the guy. In Boston, Jayson Tatum rose to take his spot. In Brooklyn, he played second or third fiddle to Kevin Durant and James Harden. Now in Dallas, he’s Luka Doncic’s sidekick. He’s also far from the same player he used to be. Offensively sure, he’s fine but he’s as bad as ever on defense. Though the Mavericks’ defensive-minded system did help raise Irving’s defensive statistical impact.

Not only are the Cavs better off not having to deal with the drama that comes with Irving, but his trade is the reason the Cavs have Donovan Mitchell now. Had Irving not been traded, the Cavs don’t get the pick that turns into Collin Sexton. Sexton isn’t included in the trade package to the Utah Jazz and the Cavs don’t have the pieces needed to land Mitchell.

Every day the decision to trade Irving looks better and better.