Report: Kristaps Porzingis Only Knicks Player Cavs Really Want for Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving may have reportedly put the New York Knicks on his list of teams he'd preferred to be traded to, but it's hard to imagine that happening.

As Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com wrote, "The only player the Cavs would really want from New York in an Irving deal is Kristaps Porzingis. It's very unlikely the Knicks would part with their gifted 7'3" center."

While that doesn't mean the Cavs aren't interested in acquiring Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, Pluto added that "Anthony should not be a focal point of any trade involving Irving."

From the Cavs perspective, Porzingis would be a superb fit alongside LeBron James and give the team a future star to build around were James to leave in free agency.

But the Knicks indeed would be silly to trade the 22-year-old Porzingis, who is still on his rookie deal and has shown flashes of two-way superstar potential. In just his second season, he averaged 18.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 35.7 percent from beyond the arc.

He is the prototypical modern center, capable of both protecting the rim and spacing the floor with his shooting range. And given the fact that Anthony is very much on the trade block, it's hard to imagine why the Knicks would add a player in his prime like Irving only to surround him with young and unproven players who aren't yet ready to compete for a postseason berth.

Dealing Anthony and allowing Porzingis to grow alongside players like Frank Ntilikina, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Willy Hernangomez makes far more sense for the Knicks. It's time for New York to rebuild and compose a roster to complement Porzingis. As talented as Irving is, the Knicks would be banking on re-signing him (he has just two years left on his contract) and adding superstars in free agency to build a winner.

If they fail to sign big names or retain Irving, however, the Knicks will have given up a future superstar for a two-year rental. That's a risk they simply shouldn't take.