THE Cleveland Cavaliers are now officially starting to prepare for life in a post-Kyrie Irving world. That world is one where the Cavs now own another All-Star point guard, a good wing defender on a cheap contract and a coveted 1st round draft pick that is likely to feature inside the top five. Apparently, Koby Altman isn’t done dealing with rumours surfacing that they have DeMarcus Cousins in their sights, for better or worse.

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THE rumoured deal that would help the Cavs land ‘Boogie’ supposedly involves swingman Iman Shumpert and their newly acquired Brooklyn 2018 pick. There would need to be another player added from Cleveland for the salaries to match and Channing Frye looms as another flexible piece that could see a deal pushed through. Another name being thrown around in negotiations is Tristan Thompson, with the Cavaliers current starting center slated to make $16.4 million this season.

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WHILE ‘Boogie’ is no doubt one of the best big men in the game, you have to weigh up the pros and cons for chasing someone with his reputation. He undoubtedly offers tremendous upside as a versatile center and could be the missing piece Cleveland needs to topple the Warriors in a potential fourth straight Finals meeting. That could see the Cavs roll out a starting lineup of Thomas, Smith, LeBron, Love and Cousins to combat Golden State with Korver, Crowder and any combination of Thompson/Shumpert/Frye/Jefferson depending on who is dealt for Cousins.

THERE is no secret that Cousins struggles to keep his temper in check and has long been labelled a problem child. Cousins may very well buy into being on a winning team for the first time in his career and LeBron James could help mould him into a functional teammate, but the evidence so far would suggest that’s no easy feat. At 27, he is a free agent at the end of the upcoming 2017-18 season and should he leave that could leave the Cavaliers in a devastating position with Isaiah Thomas and LeBron James also free agents.

THE idea of bringing Cousins to Cleveland is a tantalising on court option, but off the court, it’s tough to see the pros outweigh the cons. With so much uncertainty around the future of the franchise, the draft pick they obtained for Kyrie is worth its weight in gold and sacrificing that for Cousins isn’t a smart long term move. It’s a nice thought, but the Cavaliers can get to trigger happy or they could find themselves in a drastically worse spot 12 months from now.

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