ESPN reveals why Giants dealt Dexter Lawrence to Bengals

The New York Giants wanted to keep Dexter Lawrence, but the defensive star made it clear he wanted to move on.

While some thought it was a negotiating tactic, Lawrence was real in his desire to be traded, and the Giants eventually found a trade partner, the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals gave up the 10th overall pick to get Lawrence through the doors, a huge price to pay for one player, but they deem him worth it, and New York likely couldn't believe its luck when the Bengals offered what they did.

And a source told ESPN why the Bengals were the team the Giants traded with.

"They offered the most," according to a Giants source, via ESPN. "Nobody was going to beat the 10th pick."

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Giants now hold two top draft picks

While losing Lawrence, their best defensive player, isn't ideal, the Giants are now huge players in the draft in John Harbaugh's first offseason.

Now holding the No. 5 and No. 10 picks, the Giants, in theory, can get two bona fide stars for the roster, and likely on both sides of the ball.

Yes, having Lawrence and the No. 5 pick would be good, but now New York has the chance to really turbo-charge this roster for Harbaugh. Exactly what players the franchise will target is unknown, but Sonny Styles has been the one most commonly linked to New York. 

Time will tell if moving on from Lawrence was the right move (he didn't really give New York a choice), and if the franchise hits on both of its top draft picks, we might look back on this deal as one that kick-started the Harbaugh era.

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