Golden State Warriors: Cavaliers reportedly offered Kyrie Irving for Klay Thompson
The Golden State Warriors are still celebrating their second championship in three years. Their core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson has developed and transformed into an all-time great trio. Adding Kevin Durant to that makes them nearly unstoppable.
Curry has won two regular season MVPs. Andre Iguodala won the 2015 Finals MVP while Durant took home the trophy in 2017. Green’s emotions and abilities have been front and center.
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Thompson can be the forgotten man, at times. A player with his incredible offensive firepower is sometimes relegated to being the third or fourth option. There are stretches where his work can fly under the radar.
Defensively, the Warriors rely on Thompson to do a lot of different things. With really high-powered guards, he and Curry will cross-match. During the NBA Finals, Thompson is Kyrie Irving’s primary defender.
If it were up to the Cleveland Cavaliers, next year’s Finals would feature that same matchup except with Thompson in wine and gold and Irving in the Bay Area. According to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, the Cavaliers called the Warriors about a potential Irving for Thompson swap. Of course, the Cavs ended up trading the point guard to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and a pick.
From The Undefeated:
“[Koby] Altman was extremely focused on the future in making this trade, a source said. This trade may give James much more faith in Altman as a general manager. It would be hard to believe that Altman could have landed a better trade than the Boston one. He did call the uninterested Warriors about Klay Thompson, a source said.”
For the Cavaliers, the deal would have made them much better. LeBron James can continue to control the offense while having a great weapon that doesn’t need the ball too much next to him. Defensively, it would be a huge upgrade.
In no world would the Warriors accept this trade, however. It’s hard to imagine talks ever turned into something serious. Even if you believe Irving is better than Thompson, he doesn’t fit Golden State nearly as well.
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The best way to try to beat the Warriors is to break them up. The Indiana Pacers also called Bob Myers about a Thompson for Paul George trade. While that would be an upgrade on better, it’s hard to imagine that George would fit nearly as well.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Thompson is a Warrior for the foreseeable future.