The latest buzz from the trade market: at the behest of one LeBron James, who requires more playmaking, the Cavaliers attempted to acquire T.J. McConnell from the 76ers. They were turned away, presumably because they didn’t offer enough, because it’s not like T.J. is some untouchable franchise cornerstone. He’s good, but that’s about it.
Never fear, Cavs fans! I’m going to try and come up with some reasonable trade proposals to get LeBron the man he wants.
Idea one: McConnell for the Cavs’ first rounder next year and Kay Felder. The 76ers may have transitioned out of the “acquire all possible picks” phase of their development, but the addition of Felder sweetens the deal to the point where… actually this one sucks. Forget about this one.
Idea two: McConnell and Stauskas and maybe some picks or something for Kevin Love. If you believe the narrative that Love is actually good this year, this trade doesn’t make any sense. Otherwise, it totally does. The upside to this trade is that no black players are involved. I don’t know why that’s an upside, exactly, but trust me. It is.
Idea three: McConnell for LeBron. The Cavs get their man, and the 76ers get LeBron. I don’t really see how any one loses here. Sometimes you have to give up valuable pieces to get the dude you want.
Idea four: McConnell and Jahlil Okafor for a 2040 second rounder and two pairs of gently used fluorescent-colored basketball shorts. If the 76ers want, the Cavs can throw in one of those dumb-as-heck Nike workout shirts with the motivational text plastered on them. Only one though, because Okafor’s value is pretty low right now.
Man, this is hard. It is HARD to come up with workable trade ideas involving the Cavaliers and T.J. McConnell. No wonder the 76ers hung up right away. It’s just not going to work.