Throughout the team's history, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been involved in a number of trade deals that were of the landscape-altering variety. Perhaps the most relevant in recent memory is the blockbuster trade deal of 2017 that sent away point guard Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics.
In line with this, the Cavs have likewise been at the center of several trade rumors that never actually came to fruition. Today we take a look at some of the most insane trade deals Cleveland were almost involved in.
Kobe Bryant to the Cavs (2007)
This is perhaps the biggest what-if scenario in Cavs history. In 2007, the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly explored the possibility of sending their most prized asset, none other than the late, great Kobe Bryant, in exchange for a 23-year-old LeBron James.
This isn't just any run-of-the-mill trade rumor; it actually almost went down. In 2016, ESPN senior writer Brian Windhorst had this to say about the potential Kobe-for-LeBron trade:
According to multiple sources, as the Lakers went through their options, a call was placed to the Cavs. The intent of the call, sources said, was clear: Would the Cavs make James available in a potential deal for Bryant?
This deal made a lot of sense for the Lakers. At that time, LA was having serious doubts if Kobe could actually lead the team to glory without Shaquille O'Neal, who himself parted ways with the team three years earlier. Over that span, the Bryant-led Lakers side either made an early, first-round exit or missed the playoffs entirely. The Lakers' brass were at the very least considering the possibility of swapping their cornerstone superstar for another one.
Years later, even LeBron himself acknowledged that these trade talks were indeed legitimate.
“I believe it,” James said. “If you give up one big fish, you got to get a big fish, too.”
As for Kobe, he too was all but set to turn his back on LA and start anew. As it tuns out, however, he never wanted to play for the Cavs.
“I never would've approved it. Never. The trade to go to Cleveland? Never,” Bryant said. “That wasn't one of the teams that was on my list. It was Chicago, San Antonio [or] Phoenix.”
It ultimately all worked out for both teams, with Bryant and the Lakers winning back-to-back titles a couple of years later. The gratification came much later for the Cavs, though, who LeBron led to a championship nearly a decade later.
Carmelo Anthony and Paul George to the Cavs (2017)
Fast forward a decade later and at this point, the Cavs had already won their first NBA title in franchise history a year earlier. At that time, LeBron was already entering the final year of his four-year deal with the team, and unsurprisingly, the Cleveland front office were desperate to keep him on board.
The Cavs were coming off a disappointing Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors, and Irving was well on his way to Beantown. Cleveland needed to surround James with a new set of superstar teammates, and according to reports, this came in the form of Carmelo Anthony and Paul George.
Melo himself confirmed the botched deal that would have sent this pair to the Cavs during the summer of 2017:
“Me and PG have a very close friendship,” Anthony said in a 2017 interview (h/t Ian Begley of ESPN). “Actually, it was funny because me and PG was supposed to be in Cleveland on draft night. We were communicating about that. The deal was actually done and it got called off on draft night, so me and PG stayed connected throughout the course of the season.”
Anthony was with the New York Knicks at that time, while George was still under contract with the Indiana Pacers. It was never confirmed how this blockbuster deal would have gone down, but the Cavs would have certainly had to part ways with Kevin Love and a few other assets.
Ultimately, both Anthony and George ended up with the Oklahoma City Thunder in separate trade deals during that same summer. However, it's not impossible to think that LeBron would have been motivated to stay on in Cleveland had the team been able to pull off this blockbuster deal just one year prior to his eventual departure.
LeBron James to pretty much any team (2017/8)
Talking about LeBron's departure for the Lakers in the 2018 offseason, several rumors emerged pertaining to the team's willingness to trade away their prized superstar right before he actually jumped ship.
This made a lot of sense. The Cavs weren't exactly having the best campaign during the 2017-18 season (although they still made it all the way to the Finals only to be swept by the Warriors). And the idea was that Cleveland could cash in on LeBron under the assumption that he was walking away in the summer anyway.
Now what makes this crazy is the fact that James actually had a no-trade clause on his contract. However, there were whispers that LeBron was willing to waive this clause. The rumors got so substantial that NBA insider Shams Charania even had to provide a report contradicting the same:
Sources: As NBA teams do due diligence on his no-trade clause and potential of him dropping it, LeBron James is determined to see year through in Cleveland, focused on season and will not waive the clause.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2018
It was a poorly kept secret that several NBA teams tested the waters by looking at the possibility of trading for LeBron. After all, what front office in their right mind would pass up at the opportunity of trading for arguably the best player in the league at that point in time. You have to note, however, that any team that would have traded for James would have run the risk of him leaving that same summer. In hindsight it appears that LeBron had already made up his mind to make the big move to Hollywood that same summer, so he could have been nothing more than a half-a-season rental. The assets they had to give up to subject themselves into such a huge risk ultimately ended up scaring away any potential suitor.
Again, James reportedly never wanted to waive his no-trade clause anyway, so that in itself cut this rumor in the bud.
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