NBA Rumors: Houston Rockets interested in Kyrie Irving

Feb 1, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) brings the ball up the court during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Cavaliers 106-92. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

There is no doubt the Houston Rockets want to be the team to make arguably the biggest move of the offseason for the third consecutive season.

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Before the 2012-2013 season, the Rockets traded for then Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden and he was signed to a giant extension. Then, last season, the Rockets signed former Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers’ center Dwight Howard away from the Lakers in free agency. This year, they are expected to pursue both New York Knicks’ forward Carmelo Anthony and Minnesota Timberwolves’ power forward Kevin Love.

With the recent news that the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t plan on giving point guard Kyrie Irving a max extension, the Rockets could pursue Irving as well, writes Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders.

"The Rockets could certainly use an elite playmaker, and Kyrie Irving is on track to be one. In fact, the only thing that seems to be able to slow down Irvin is the injury bug. He’s an amazing leader off the court and a stellar performer on it, making him the complete package. It’s hard to see him leaving Cleveland, but with the aforementioned rumor mill saying he doesn’t want to be in Cleveland long-term, it’s possible the Cavaliers could look to deal him before he can walk. If they do, they could almost certainly get more than a package revolving around Asik and Lin, but there’s no question that Irving could help the Rockets become a contender."

Irving averaged 20.8 points, 6.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in 71 games last season.

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