Trade idea reunites Cavaliers with Kyrie Irving

In a season full of uncertainty and injuries for the Cleveland Cavaliers, it feels like any trade to try and quickly turn the Cavs into contenders feels possible.

In a recent episode of "Wine and Gold Talk," Chris Fedor suggested a trade that would send shockwaves through the league, and change the Cavaliers current direction.

The hypothetical trade would revolve around the Cavaliers sending current All-Star caliber point guard Darius Garland to the Dallas Mavericks, in exchange for the former Cavalier great Kyrie Irving.

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving looks on during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The move would send Garland, who has been heavily mentioned in trade rumors all season long, to a team where immediate production isn’t necessary. The Mavericks are currently shopping around several of their older players, including Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson, in hopes of building around rookie Cooper Flagg.

Garland would get time to get back to full strength, something he hasn’t been able to do since his injury in Cleveland. The pressure would be off to make an immediate impact, and Garland could work towards long term goals of helping the Mavericks compete in the near future.

Meanwhile the Cavs would add a player who has been through the big moments, and hit some of the biggest shots imaginable. It would allow the Cavs to have some extra playoff experience, while still allowing Donovan Mitchell to be the main scorer, and Evan Mobley to be the main big.

The big down side of Irving is that he is currently injured, tearing his ACL 10 months ago. For a player his age, it’s never a guarantee he will return to be the same caliber of player from before the injury.

The trade would be less about what each player can do physically, as Garland likely still has plenty more potential to grow into, but rather where they are at mentally. Irving would be able to lead a young Cavaliers team, and get them ready for whatever happens in the playoffs.

It’s also always nice to know you have a player who can knock down a big shot if his number is called, think Ray Allen with the Miami Heat.

With Irving still uncertain of when he'll be ready for his next game, the Cavs would likely get some extra assets like draft capital from the trade too.

Of course, it’s all hypothetical still. The Cavs will have another month to figure out what the plan is for the remainder of the season.

It’s been a promising few weeks for Cleveland, as they improve to 20-17 on the season, but it still feels like anyone on the team can be traded if things start trending back down.