Kyrie Irving trade rumors have taken over the NBA rumor mill. If he really does want to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers, here are five teams that should make an offer.
Just over a year removed from the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, the Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be on the verge of destruction.
Though they advanced to their third straight championship series this year, they were quickly and soundly defeated by the super-team Golden State Warriors in five games — this, despite another monster series from LeBron James.
Rumors about the King abdicating his throne in Cleveland have been circulating for awhile, which makes sense. He’s already brought the city its first and only NBA crown, he’s a free agent next summer and the Cavs don’t have what it takes to close the gap on the Dubs dynasty after a forgettable offseason that included the departure of general manager David Griffin.
No one, however, anticipated the Kyrie Irving trade rumors that emerged Friday afternoon.
According to ESPN‘s Brian Windhorst, the hero of Game 7 in the 2016 NBA Finals has requested a trade from the Cavaliers, and in a stunning development, the apparent reason is he wants a larger role and no longer wants to play with LeBron James.
If that’s true, plenty of teams will be picking up the phone for one of the most dynamic scorers in the league. Though his defense is lackluster and his injury history is a bit shaky, Irving is still only 25 years old, he has NBA Finals experience and he’s gotten better almost every season.
According to ESPN‘s Chris Haynes, Kyrie has even given the front office a preferred list of trade destinations, though Cleveland should hardly feel compelled to abide by it since he’s potentially leaving them high and dry like this — especially ahead of LeBron’s free agency next summer.
ESPN Sources: On Kyrie Irving front, Cavs were given four preferred landing spots: New York, Miami, San Antonio, Minnesota.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 21, 2017
For the Cavaliers, a Kyrie Irving trade would have to bring in considerable talent to help them stay within punching distance of the Warriors and hopefully convince LeBron to stay next summer (though his next exit from Cleveland may be a foregone conclusion at this point).
Or, in a potentially more realistic but disheartening approach, they could choose to completely pivot, acknowledge that LeBron is likely gone next summer and trade a disgruntled Kyrie to jumpstart a rebuild centered around younger talent and future draft picks.
Bearing all this in mind, here are five teams (and a few quick honorable mentions) that should make an offer for Kyrie Irving if the Cavaliers grant his request.
Honorable Mentions:
Detroit Pistons — A package of Avery Bradley, Ish Smith and Stanley Johnson would have to wait until Sept. 7 since Bradley was just traded there, but it’d give the Cavs two point guards to replace their All-Star — one that can facilitate and another that can defend the perimeter and spread the floor. Unfortunately, Johnson isn’t proven enough for this to happen.
San Antonio Spurs — LaMarcus Aldridge works straight up, but Cleveland would have no incentive to take on a player on the decline, especially with Kevin Love still there. Other than that, the Spurs don’t even have enough cap filler to get a deal centered around Danny Green done.
Utah Jazz — A fun option that works salary-wise would be Rodney Hood and Ricky Rubio, but Rubio’s shooting woes would limit Cleveland’s three-point attack, even while upgrading the defense and facilitation. Hood also might not be ready for the spotlight of the NBA Finals.