The rumor that has the NBA abuzz at the moment has nothing to do with the upcoming finals, LeBron James, the quest of Dirk’s first or any actual basketball being played on the floor. Instead, the focus of fans and writers alike is on the least successful clubs from the last season. That’s because it’s rumored that the Cleveland Cavaliers have fallen in love with two of the top prospects on most draft boards — Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams — and instead of choosing between the two of them, they’re looking to swing a trade to bring both of them to the Cavs.
It’s an unlikely scenario that sets mock drafts ablaze and churns the rumor mill, but deals like this aren’t done often. However, the scenario in front of the draft this year has a few points that could set the tone for this rumor to become a reality:
1. Cavs Have The Assets or all three — the Cavs can be creative in their offer.The bottom line is that the Cavs already have the first choice locked up and the No. 4 choice is also in-house. Thus for them to trade up to No. 2 isn’t so far fetched given the high extra draft choice they already own. Cleveland also has some interesting bargaining power, with tradeable players like J.J. Hickson and the enormous trade exception from the LeBron trade to Miami where they can save a team from an anchor of a contract. Whether it’s a player, a draft choice or financial -
2. The Minnesota Timberwolves Want Out – The Wolves have made it clear that they are looking to maneuver out of the second overall slot in the draft. There’s no player available at that spot that would bring the Wolves to the level they want to be given the talent they already have in house. To take another foreign wild card would be the final wound in a fan base already waiting for Ricky Rubio to pan out, and a forward like Derrick Williams is too redundant to frontcourt talent like Michael Beasley or Kevin Love. Instead, they need veteran backcourt help, if possible, and this pick simply won’t turn out the value that a No. 2 should for David Kahn.
3. The Draft Is Weak - Simply put, you don’t talk so easily about trading away (or acquiring) picks at the very, very top of a draft unless it lacks impact players. And this is one of those years. Typically, a seller like Minnesota would never move their choice and would be happy to add an elite level talent after such a long losing season. Typically, a buyer like Cleveland wouldn’t have the assets to even approach the discussions for the No. 2 choice. With a watered-down talent pool, anything is possible now.
Perhaps it’s a direct trade that brings both teams what they want or a rumored three way deal involved the Detroit Pistons. But it’s certainly interesting drama to follow as Cleveland could make the impact statement of the draft in a way that would ignite the fan base like few moves can.