Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 questions on Kyrie Irving’s stunning trade demand

What’s a Fair Deal?

Early reports have the Knicks attempting to put together a three-way deal with the Suns that would have them giving up Carmelo Anthony, first-round Frenchman Frank Ntilikina, and multiple first round picks.

The latter part of that sentence should give every Knicks fan pause.

Most teams would gladly give up a young player and a productive vet in exchange for a 25-year old with Irving’s talents.

Multiple first round picks are a different story. They are the kind of assets in which context is everything.

Timofey Mozgov was traded to the Cavs for multiple first round picks and it was looked at as a great deal, even though the Cavs didn’t win a ring the year he was dealt there and he barely played a minute of meaningful basketball during the 2016 Finals.

On the other hand, the Nets dealt multiple first rounders to the Celtics for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, and it merely crippled their franchise for the better part of a decade.

Garnett and Pierce, of course, were well past their primes, while Irving is still entering his.

Certain teams – hello, Spurs and Heat – have the organizational stability such that sending out multiple firsts will never hurt them that bad. Case A: Miami looks like it will weather the storm of the picks it sent to the Suns in the Dragic deal just fine.

New York is a different story. The Knicks, with a core of Irving and Porzingis, still have every capability of being a sub-.500 team next year even if everyone stays healthy. If Irving leaves in 2 seasons and Kristaps forces his way out of town as well, you’re looking at a scenario almost on par with the Brooklyn disaster in terms of long-term ramifications.