Why the New Orleans Pelicans should consider a Kyrie Irving trade
By Nick Alvarez
Why trading for Kyrie Irving makes sense from the New Orleans Pelicans perspective
I know, a lot of Pelicans fans might be outraged to think that I’m even entertaining this idea right now. And I get it, Kyrie Irving is a hard player to like right now, and trading for him is certainly a major risk, but the NBA is all about talent.
If you’re an NBA team in today’s league and you don’t have at least two top players on your roster, you’re not winning a title. It’s that simple. So while Kyrie Irving has clear red-flags, his talent is immense, and that outways the risk in the NBA.
My reasoning for acquiring Kyrie goes beyond just talent though, I believe the New Orleans Pelicans could be the perfect storm for Irving to get his career back on track.
It starts with David Griffin. Griffin, who ran the Cleveland Cavaliers for many years was the man who drafted Irving with the 1st overall pick back in 2011. By all accounts, he has a good relationship with Irving, even trading him to a nice situation in Boston when Irving requested a trade in 2017. That means there’s a chance that Irving could thrive again with Griffin’s support.
Then, I look at the city of New Orleans. It’s a city with a rich black-history and thriving black-community. Irving is deeply involved in social justice movements and supporting black-communities so New Orleans could be the perfect place for him to do just that. Also, Irving enjoyed his time in New Orleans during the 2014 and 2017 All-Star games.
Finally, Irving’s skill-set at the point guard position would perfectly mesh with Stan Van Gundy’s offense. He’s a brilliant pick-and-roll player, a solid defender at his spot, and a closer in late-game situations. Seems perfect for what Van Gundy wants.
Now, what would it take to acquire Kyrie Irving? Let’s give that a look.