How Cavs Could Land No. 3 Pick By Facilitating Anthony Davis Trade to Knicks

The Cleveland Cavaliers missed out on an opportunity to acquire a potentially franchise-altering player when they failed to obtain the first pick of the 2019 NBA Draft in last month’s draft lottery.

Though they would be hard-pressed to entice the New Orleans Pelicans to trade the first pick to them, the Cavaliers can move up in the draft by helping the New York Knicks take Anthony Davis in a three-team deal.

The hypothetical trade scenario was suggested by Forbes.com’s Evan Dammarell. In the proposed deal, the Cavs would land the No. 3 pick from the Knicks, which is expected to be Duke’s R.J. Barrett. Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman and the team’s front office are reportedly eyeing the Blue Devils forward in the draft.

According to Dammarell, the Cavaliers would receive the No. 3 pick and Frank Ntilikina, the Knicks would get Davis, and the Pelicans would take possession of the No. 5 pick, Kevin Love, Dennis Smith Jr., Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson and Dallas’ 2021 and 2023 first-round picks courtesy of New York.

The trade makes sense for all three teams. This is especially true for Pelicans GM David Griffin who has made known what he wants in exchange for his All-Star center. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Griffin wants “a combination of assets that include an All-Star player, a young player with All-Star potential and two first-round picks” in exchange for Davis before the upcoming draft, which is scheduled for June 20.

The Knicks would have their coveted franchise player, which would help them in recruiting big-name free agents this summer.

For the Cavs, they fast-track their rebuilding efforts with the acquisition of a young player who could become the new face of the franchise. The road toward respectability would take a while, but with Barrett and incoming sophomore Collin Sexton on hand, Cleveland would be a step closer to getting there.