The Cleveland Cavaliers are being called to try and acquire Paul George from the Los Angeles Clippers. According to James Piercey of NBAAnalysis.net, The Cleveland Cavaliers should trade Jarrett Allen, Issac Okoro, Rickey Rubio, and multiple draft picks for Paul George. Paul has been in trade rumors since joining the Clippers back in the summer of 2019.
George to CLE?
At the time the New York Knicks and the Portland Trailblazers were both interested in trading for George. Things changed when those teams heard that Paul was seeking a massive extension. The former Indiana Pacer is up for a whopping $220 million extension over four years. New York and Portland both were not ready to trade for a player who is known for always being hurt. George played only 87 of his possible 164 games in the past two seasons.
Despite that Paul averaged 23 points, 6 rebounds, and five assists last season. He did miss his last nine games of the season and the first round of the playoffs due to a knee injury. Without George, the Clippers were bounced in the first round in five games to the Phoenix Suns. Even with these numbers, this would not be a good move for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers need healthy players that can play constantly. They do not need another injured player draining their fund from the sidelines. Cleveland will already have some money issues in the near future. Trading Jarrett Allen may solve those issues, but just not for Paul George. Cavaliers President of basketball operations, Koby Altman, has already stated that he has no plans to trade Garland, Mitchell, Mobley, or Allen anytime soon.
Even with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season ending earlier than most thought it would, they are still a good young team. We have to remember that this was their first run together. Now, with some experience and an upgraded roster thanks to free agency, Cleveland is ready to run it back.
Cleveland Needs To Stay Focused
This young Cavaliers team has plenty of fight left in them. Their window has just opened. Trading for another star in Paul George may sound good on paper, but it would destroy everything that Cleveland has already built. There have not been any official reports linking Cleveland to Paul George, and hopefully, it will stay that way. This is a big season for Cleveland. They need to take the leap in this upcoming year or they may fade away.
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