It’s practically impossible for fans not to get swept up in trade requests, or really any potential move for that matter. I know with my friends, we play the trade game religiously, and any time a big name hits the market, it’s not hard to convince myself how the New York Giants could pull it off.
Myles Garrett would look great next to Brian Burns and Abdul Carter, but I digress.
So, it's hard to fault other fanbases for doing the same thing (the amount of Kayvon Thibodeaux trade ideas I've seen), especially when a disgruntled defensive cornerstone like Dexter Lawrence shocks the world by publicly requesting a trade. It opened the floodgates for everyone and their cousin's pet to envision what it'd be like to have the 6-foot-4, 340-pound, three-time Pro Bowler obliterate offensive linemen for their respective team's defense.
And one "no-brainer" proposal floating around from the Green Bay side caught my attention for all the wrong reasons and feels like that "no-brainer" label is so wildly one-sided, to the point where even Joe Schoen would balk at it. Remember, this is the man who traded for Darren Waller and moved up twice to draft Deonte Banks and Jalin Hyatt.
Lombardi Ave's Matt Fitzgerald recently laid out a trade sending No. 97 to Cheese Land for Dontayvion Wicks, Carrington Valentine, and a second-round pick:
Packers’ Dexter Lawrence trade idea is nowhere near enough for Giants
I’ll try to take my Giants-tinted glasses off and be as objective as I can. Personally, I don’t want Big Blue trading him at all, and my price tag for arguably the best interior disruptor in the league starts at about 100 first-round picks. I know that’s not exactly realistic, but even setting that aside, this one still falls short.
The Giants could use an upgrade in both their receiver and cornerback rooms, so in theory this trade addresses both while also adding a valuable draft pick. But just because they play positions the G-Men need doesn’t mean it’s necessarily fair value.
Wicks is a young receiver -- still just 24 years old -- with solid size at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds. However, he struggles with drops, isn’t the best route runner, doesn’t have top-end speed, and his production has declined every year of his three-year career.
The former Virginia Cavalier has never caught more than 40 passes or topped 600 receiving yards in a season. He’d be another average wideout in a Giants receiver room still trying to find a real WR2 opposite Malik Nabers.
The second-round pick looks good for optics, but the Packers would be trading for Lawrence to put them over the top and contend for Super Bowls. That pick coming back to New York is nothing more than a glorified third, and that’s just not going to cut it for a player like Dex.
Then there’s Valentine, which is where this gets a little interesting. Paulson Adebo struggled in his first year with the Giants, Deonte Banks lost his starting job to Cor’Dale Flott before he left in free agency, and Greg Newsome II has never quite matched the hype, with his play dipping over the last couple years. So bringing in a 24-year-old, good-not-great corner with some upside is at least worth thinking about.
Don’t let the three-for-one fool you. This trade is designed to look like it’s filling multiple needs, when in reality it’s a potential CB2 and a third-rounder for Dexter Lawrence. Additionally, both Wix and Valentine are entering contract years, so they'd likely be looking for long-term paydays themselves, which feels like we're running in circles here. The Giants might as well just pay Lawrence instead since he's much more impactful and better.
Fortunately, he still has two years left on his deal, so nothing is imminent. They have plenty of time to figure this out. If not, there will be better offers for a player like Dex, so Schoen and John Harbaugh would be smart to wait until the return actually matches the player.