5 ripple effects of the Kyle Korver trade to Cleveland Cavaliers

3. The Pressure Is On For Toronto And Boston

Speaking of the Celtics, there’s an undeniable amount of pressure on them and the Toronto Raptors to make a big move before the trade deadline if they want to seriously challenge Cleveland for the Eastern belt.

With a Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love — all of whom are arguably playing the best basketball of their Cleveland careers — it’s unlikely the Celtics or Raptors knock off the Cavs, regardless of what moves they make.

But with Boston in need of a game-changing big to pull down boards and defend the rim, and Toronto still lacking a star power forward to round out their starting five, the Cavaliers have a vice grip on the conference. By adding Korver to bolster their depth, the Cavs have put even more pressure on their top Eastern adversaries to make a blockbuster move.

For the Celtics, they could get involved in the Paul Millsap sweepstakes to reunite Atlanta’s frontcourt alongside Al Horford. They could hope Bleacher Report’s Rich Bucher was right about Jimmy Butler being available, they could pray Sacramento abandons its playoff pursuit and deals DeMarcus Cousins, or they could make a more low-key move for rim protection with someone like Tyson Chandler.

For the Raptors, Paul Millsap is really the only potential game-changer out there, but working out a deal for him could be challenging. Toronto would need to find a way to meet Atlanta’s demands for their best player, without gutting the team of its vaunted depth or giving up too much for a rental in the event Millsap signs elsewhere in free agency.

No matter what, the Korver acquisition made the rich even richer. For the Celtics or Raptors to keep up, these two bands of merry brothers are going to have to steal something valuable Robin Hood-style. It’s really the only way peasants will truly challenge the King.