The Giants and Browns finally came to terms on a trade that sent Odell Beckham to Cleveland, after weeks of speculation and general manager Dave Gettleman avoided potential disaster in the process.

In exchange for Beckham, the Giants acquired the Browns’ No. 17 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, a third-round pick and safety Jabrill Peppers.

Peppers steps in and will start immediately alongside Antoine Bethea, who was signed on Tuesday afternoon in a new look secondary.

Owning two picks in the top 20 of April’s draft will allow the Giants to add blue-chip prospects -- potentially quarterback Dwayne Haskins, or at least an elite pass rusher from a class that’s loaded with them.

It’s easy to categorize the trade as Gettleman giving away one of the game’s premier playmakers and a generational wide receiver talent. However, the Steelers’ mess with Antonio Brown showed that when an offer like this is presented to a team in limbo like the Giants -- especially for a troublesome player -- that team would be wise to take it.

Brown was able to talk his way out of Pittsburgh and took away all of the Steelers’ trade leverage with his behavior over the last few weeks of the season and the past several months. The Steelers had to settle for a meager return of a third-round and fifth-round pick.

After winning just eight games over the past two years, and 38-year-old quarterback Eli Manning likely hanging on for one more season, Beckham could have easily been an even bigger disruption in the New York media market if the 2019 season got off to a start as disappointing as least season’s 1-7 first half.

Moving on from Beckham allows the Giants to take a quarterback at the top of the first round to pair with Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley, or trade a second- or third-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for Josh Rosen -- if the Cardinals take Kyler Murray with the first pick.

Likewise, opening $5 million in cap space will allow the Giants to go shopping for a free agent wide receiver such as Randall Cobb, Phillip Dorsett or Golden Tate.

Next season, the Giants will have $18 million in cap space and more than $20 million in additional spending flexibility in 2021.

This trade might not make the Giants better in 2019, it will likely make them worse, but it’s the type of return that allows them to jump-start an overdue rebuild with prospects and spending power over the next two years.

Matt Lombardo may be reached at MLombardo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardoNFL