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.
5. Chicago Bulls
Dwyane Wade opted into the remaining $24 million of his contract with the Chicago Bulls, but that was before the team shipped off Jimmy Butler for injured peanuts and decided not to bring back Rajon Rondo. Talks of a buyout aren’t surprising, and the Bulls have little use for him with a rebuild underway.
Bearing this in mind, a reunion of two old South Beach buddies, seems like the kind of desperate ploy Cleveland might make to keep LeBron James happy.
In this case, either Edy Tavares or Kay Felder would need to be included for salary-matching purposes. Given how crowded Chicago’s backcourt is, Tavares seems like the more likely option.
Though Wade is now 35 years old, he still put up 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game last season. He only played 60 games, but a core of LeBron, Wade and Kevin Love would probably be enough to get Cleveland back to the Finals, even if it would stand no chance of beating the Warriors.
Bringing in Wade would be a gesture of good faith toward LeBron, even if it’s not a championship-winning move.
Meanwhile, the Bulls free up the starting job for Zach LaVine at the 2, get rid of a player who would probably rather play with King James or return to South Beach and they land their first franchise player for the rebuild in Kyrie Irving.
4. Miami Heat
The Miami Heat enjoyed the best season of Goran Dragic‘s career since his breakout year with the Phoenix Suns, but at some point, they’ll need to face facts: The Dragon is 31 years old already, with at least two years remaining on a large contract that includes a $19.2 million player option in the third year.
Dragic put up 20.3 points, 5.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds on .475/.405/.790 shooting splits, which means the Cavaliers certainly wouldn’t be getting a scrub in return for their franchise point guard.
With one year to prove to LeBron this front office can assemble a legitimate threat to the Warriors, the Cavs would have a hard time finding a better direct replacement for Kyrie on the open market.
Unfortunately, a 31-year-old point guard who’s game will likely decline from here on is not the best return for Cleveland, even with a future first round pick attached. Remember, the Heat owe their 2018 (top-seven protected) and 2021 first-rounders to the Phoenix Suns, so Cleveland wouldn’t be able to cash in on an immediate draft pick to aid a full-scale rebuild.
Dragic would provide Cleveland with a facilitating point guard who could spread the floor to three-point range and also play better defense, but if LeBron wants to leave next summer, keeping a disgruntled Kyrie might wind up being a better option than this rebuild package.
Kyrie would represent a younger, superior point guard on a better contract for the Heat, and this would allow him to join one of his preferred trade destinations, but Dragic was extremely good in Erik Spoelstra’s system last year, so there are worse final outcomes than Cleveland avoiding this kind of swap.
3. Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets‘ biggest area of need is the point guard position, and though a two-way player like Eric Bledsoe might be a more realistic trade target to get them back to the postseason, Kyrie Irving can’t be excluded from the list if he’s made available.
If that’s the case, a deal would almost have to be centered around Wilson Chandler, both for salary-matching purposes and for the simple fact that the Cavaliers need wings who can spread the floor while defending multiple positions if they want to close the gap on Golden State.
From there, it’d be a matter of figuring out which pieces among Jamal Murray, Emmanuel Mudiay and Gary Harris would need to be included.
Though giving up one of the Nuggets’ two “off limits” players would hurt, Denver would have to make this deal worth Cleveland’s while to give up their franchise point guard. Murray accomplishes that, injecting youth and immediate scoring punch into the starting lineup.
Wilson fills the need on the wing, while Juan Hernangomez gives the Cavs a young stretch-4 to look forward to down the road.
This is a nice balance of youth for the future and players who can make an impact now to get Cleveland back to the Finals, but it might represent a lowball offer from Denver. Another version might see Cleveland ask for two point guards with Emmanuel Mudiay:
While the Nuggets haven’t entirely given up on the No. 7 overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft yet, Mudiay falling behind Murray and veteran Jameer Nelson on the depth chart didn’t look good last season.
The only reason Cleveland might be interested in this potential draft bust is if they’re looking to rebuild and want a player whose set position is the 1, unlike Murray, who could fit at either the 1 or the 2.
More than likely though, they’d try to include Gary Harris, asking to substitute him in for either Murray or Mudiay (preferably Mudiay).
This would be an impressive haul for Cleveland, especially without a GM at the moment. Chandler shores up the wing defense and the team’s versatility, Harris does the same at the 2-spot while spreading the floor (42 percent three-point shooting last year) and even if Murray isn’t ready to be a starting point guard on a contender yet, LeBron handles most of the facilitation anyway.
This improves Cleveland’s scoring punch with the number of three-point weapons available and also provides two solid defenders…not to mention two young players on the rise in the event LeBron leaves next summer.
However, that’s too much for Denver to give up for one player, even one of Kyrie’s caliber. With the potential Murray showed as the starting point guard last season, the Nuggets may be content to avoid sacrificing Harris or Murray for an immediate upgrade at the 1.
2. Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are one of the few sensical trade destinations that can offer the Cavaliers both established talent to continue competing with LeBron AND youth/future draft picks to make sure the cupboard isn’t bare if the King leaves next summer.
The question is, as #TheTimeline takes shape in the Valley of the Sun, would Phoenix be able to get away with an offer like Eric Bledsoe, T.J. Warren and a future first round pick for Kyrie Irving?
On the one hand, Phoenix is hardly in a position to be turning down elite talent if it has a chance to add it — especially since Irving is still only 25 years old and finding a long-term franchise point guard is this rebuild’s most pressing need.
Opposing teams would be hard-pressed to stop Irving and Devin Booker in the same backcourt, and that young core could grow together over the next few years, giving Kyrie his chance to fulfill his desire of taking on a larger role.
The Suns don’t have to trade Eric Bledsoe, but it’d probably be a good idea to cash in on his value now, given his age (27), injury history and the fact that he’s coming off a healthy season in which he averaged 21.1 points, 6.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game.
The Smoking Cuban
T.J. Warren is a talented scorer and improving wing defender at only 23 years old, and his numbers should’ve been better than they were in a season that was derailed by a mysterious head injury. Throw in a first-rounder and that kind of package keeps Cleveland in the title hunt while also providing the Cavs with Warren and another young player to aid the potential rebuild post-LeBron.
However, a Kyrie-Booker backcourt would not be able to stop anyone, and even with Josh Jackson there to take T.J. Warren’s place, Phoenix might prefer to continue hoarding its assets until it can make a different move for a franchise point guard, either in the draft or on the trade block.
Irving is a perfect fit age-wise, but not necessarily basketball-wise with shots needing to be shared between him and Booker. The Suns need to address their defense for the future, and Irving isn’t the guy to do that with.
From Cleveland’s perspective, this might not be enough established talent or enough youth to satisfy the front office, no matter which way it intends to go in a potential Kyrie Irving trade. LeBron has always been a fan of Bledsoe’s game, but even with the defensive upgrade he’d provide over Kyrie, would Bled and Warren be enough to keep the King in Cleveland after one year?
The answer is probably not, since Bledsoe and Warren don’t move the needle that much closer to the Dubs. If that’s the case, the Cavaliers would probably start asking for names like Josh Jackson, Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss or even Devin Booker in addition to draft picks…at which point the Suns might be better off practicing their newfound patience and hanging up.
1. New York Knicks
It’s no secret that the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony need a divorce more than any celebrity pairing in recent memory, and with LeBron James and Melo being such close friends, there’d be incentive on both sides to get a deal done.
The Cavs have been mentioned alongside the Houston Rockets as trade suitors for Anthony all summer, and if Kyrie Irving wants out, the Knicks could opt for a sure thing at the point guard spot over the recently drafted Frank Ntilikina.
Remember, Ntilikina has combo guard potential, so even a trade for Kyrie wouldn’t be a death sentence to his playing time or his future in the Big Apple. One trade might look like Melo for Kyrie, with Richard Jefferson included to match salaries.
In this deal, the Knicks get another franchise cornerstone alongside Kristaps Porzingis (and perhaps Ntilikina), shedding Melo’s contract in the process.
The Cavs, meanwhile, get rid of their disgruntled point guard while bringing in an established scorer and long-time friend of LeBron James. Though Melo doesn’t bump Cleveland up to Golden State’s level, perhaps playing with his friend might help convince the King to stay next summer.
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Melo would have to play the 3 in Cleveland with Kevin Love still onboard, moving him from his more effective spot at power forward and exposing his defense to quicker small forwards on the wing. Remember, Melo was never the most gifted defender, and that was before he turned 33 years old in May.
However, he’s a decent enough three-point shooter to be a threat, especially with all the open looks LeBron and Cleveland’s floor-spacing would provide. His iso-scoring could replace some of what Kyrie brought to the table, he’d help on the boards, and the Cavs could just let LeBron continue to play point forward in the wake of Kyrie’s departure.
However, if the Cavs were smart, they’d try to talk the Knicks into replacing Ntilikina with Kyrie and ask for him to be included in the deal to prepare for life without LeBron. Here, Channing Frye would be included for salary-matching purposes.
However, as nice a novelty as Frye’s New York homecoming would be, the Knicks would be wise to turn down an offer including Ntilikina, even though they’ve already lost all leverage in Carmelo Anthony trade talks with the entire league knowing both sides want out.
Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far
As you can see, putting together a Kyrie Irving trade that works for both sides is difficult, especially factoring in what LeBron James might do next summer in free agency.