For the last few years, Denver has balanced its influx of rookies with the judicious signing of seasoned veterans. If Gary Harris, Nikola Jokic, and Jamal Murray (ages 22, 22, 20) represent the future of the franchise, then Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, and Wilson Chandler (28, 27, 30) represented the old guard, keeping the Nuggets relatively stable as the young players learned to play in the league.

When it leaked that Kyrie Irving had requested a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers early this week, Denver was mentioned as a possible landing spot by journalists such as ESPN’s Zach Lowe. If Denver did decide to trade for Irving, it would represent an opportunity to build around their young core, and give Cleveland a decent haul in return.

At 25, Irving is younger than Faried, Chandler, Jameer Nelson, and Will Barton, while also having the skill and experience level to make him seem like a veteran to every Nugget not named Millsap. Trading a group of Denver’s veterans for Irving allows the Nuggets to fill their greatest position of need with young talent while giving the Cavaliers some much-needed depth on their roster.

There is some concern for how Irving’s iso game would blend with Jokic, a basketball savant who does his most impressive stuff when he has the ball at the elbow and the other four players are zooming around the court. Personality-wise, though, they would be a great fit. Jokic has been anointed as the future of Denver since the Nuggets traded away Jusuf Nurkic, but he doesn’t have the temperament of a natural leader. He will be selfless in his play and work to make everyone around him better, but nothing about his game or personality says "alpha dog." Irving, on the other hand, is leaving a great situation in Cleveland because he can’t get out from under Lebron James’s shadow. His ideal destination would be a place that allows him to assume the alpha position on the team, while still receiving the sort of playmaking help he’s become accustomed to under LeBron. A partnership with Jokic would fulfill both those requirements.

With that in mind, I’ve put together a few offers that allow Denver to get younger. A lot of the trades you can build end up looking like the Cavs are trading a dollar for three quarters, but, well, you don’t really have much of a choice when you’re trading someone of Irving’s value.

The Steal

Denver gives up Faried, Barton, and Nelson. While none of these guys are likely to start for Cleveland, the team does get to add three solid rotation players who can help keep Kevin Love, Iman Shumpert, and Derrick Rose rested and healthy—well, no promises with Rose. Nelson might even be able to challenge Rose for the starting point guard spot. This would be a huge steal for Denver, but as the Jimmy Butler and Paul George trades showed, sometimes superstars go for a lot less than you think.

The Chandler

If we’re being realistic, there’s no way Wilson Chandler doesn’t end up in this trade. More than any other player on their roster, the Cavs need someone to take minutes off LeBron. Chandler would be a starter on almost any other team; on Cleveland, he’d be the most overqualified backup in the league, and might even be in a position to get the team’s plus-minus into the black when James sits.

To make the salaries work here, Cleveland sends over Channing Frye, because it’s Denver’s destiny to collect every immobile shooting power forward in the league, apparently. And if Cleveland doesn’t want to take on any extra salary, they could include Richard Jefferson (2.5 million/year) and save a little in luxury tax.

Okay, Fine, You Monsters

Will Barton is a seriously good player who, after looking like he might sniff Sixth Man of the Year in 2016, had a slight regression the next season that was partly due to sharing time with a cadre of talented shooting guards. I think he’s underrated now, and a good acquisition for any team. But let’s face it, he’s not going to be enough for Cleveland. No, they’re going to take Gary Harris from us, because life is pain.

Jamal Murray is too young to make an impact on a championship contender, and Malik Beasley is too unproven. Had the Nuggets drafted Donovan Mitchell rather than let him join Rudy Gobert on the "Future All-Stars Denver Traded to Utah" list, I’d feel a little better about letting Harris go right as he’s starting to become a truly excellent player. As it is, this sucks and I hate everything. But it’s worth it for Kyrie Irving. It’s worth it for Kyrie Irving. Keep saying it, until you start to believe that it’s true.