(assuming Danny believes that Kyrie plans to leave next summer via free agency)
Boston in: McCollum
Boston out: Irving, Morris
NY in: Irving
NY out: Courtney Lee, Ntilikina, Knox
Portland in: Courtney Lee, Morris, Ntilikina, Knox
Portland out: McCollum
Feel free to add pick(s) if necessary.
http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=y97jmev5Why for Boston?
- The whole scenario is based on the assumption that Kyrie plans to leave in 2019 via free agency.
- Kyrie is not exactly an iron man whereas McCollum has only lost 5 regular season games in the last 3 seasons.
- I believe McCollum would make a great score-first PG. Imo, he can never realize his full potential while playing alongside Lillard. Sort of like Harden and Westbrook at OKC.
- McCollum's contract expires in 2021 (2 extra years under team control).
Why for NY?
- They get a 26-year-old superstar in Kyrie.
- They clear about 22 million in cap space for next season.
- They then go after Butler in free agency (rumor has it that Kyrie and Butler want to team up next summer).
Why for Portland?
- Portland have invested a lot in Lillard and McCollum and they’re not making progress. I mean, they got swept by the Pels in the first round. It's possible that they decide to part ways with McCollum (especially if they get off to a bad start next season).
- They get two battle-hardened vets in positions of need (Lee - Morris) and two promising prospects (Ntilikina - Knox). To put it another way, they stay competitive this year while at the same time they build for the future.