Fansided

It’s time to rehash those Chris Paul for Kyrie Irving trade rumors, again

By Josh Hill

January 16, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) moves the ball against the defense of Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 16, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) moves the ball against the defense of Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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A Chris Paul-for-Kyrie Irving trade is never going to happen, even if LeBron James pushes for it. 

Every year it seems we’re all faced with an NBA trade scenario that seemingly makes so much sense on the surface that we’re temporarily boggled as to why it hasn’t happened.

That scenario is the Cavaliers and Clippers swapping Kyrie Irving and Chris Paul.

Usually, this rumor is reserved for that prime week leading up to the NBA trade deadline, but we’re getting a bonus helping thanks to LeBron James. The Cavaliers star said this week that he hopes to one day play on the same team as Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade and Chris Paul before their careers come to an end.

This is something Cleveland should find a way to make happen like yesterday, but that’s not the point here. The point is that this supergroup will never form an if it does it won’t start with a Kyrie-for-CP3 trade.

For starters, it makes zero sense — actually less than zero sense.

Kyrie Irving is under team control through 2019 and is just about to hit the real prime of his career. Paul can opt out in 2017 and will likely have the pick of the litter when it comes to where his next contract will come from. Basically, if Cleveland makes this trade, then they narrow their window from having three to four more years to figure things out to just one year.

That’s just begging LeBron James to leave again.

While it’s asinine, there’s this weird argumentum ad ignorantiam that has people convinced that Chris Paul is the missing link between the Cavaliers of the present and the Cavaliers team that will win the NBA Finals. The logic is that Paul is too good to be not winning with the Clippers, so it’s the roster’s fault and not his. That’s the reason LeBron isn’t winning in Cleveland, so putting the two together is going to equal a title win.

But the Cavaliers mortgaging their future in Irving to land a player who can’t win despite being already paired with a superstar is bogus. Sure, the Cavs might be better than they are now if they had Paul, but would they be better than the Warriors or Spurs — which they’re not currently.

If this trade made that much sense, it would have happened already. You don’t think that Cleveland has left no stone unturned in their quest to win a title?

It’s all circular reasoning that right down to the repetitiveness of this argument popping up the same time every year. Chris Paul playing with LeBron is a good idea but it’s not logical and will never, ever happen by way of a Kyrie trade.

So please, America, just stop.

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