NBA Rumors: LeBron, Kyrie or Kevin Love won’t be back for Cavs in 2017
By Josh Hill
Are the Cleveland Cavaliers on the verge of a major breakup?
It has been utter turmoil these past few weeks for the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the team has been randomly blown out by teams they should have beaten and the chemistry seems to be all sorts of off. This is eerily reminiscent of the rough start the Cavs got off to in 2014-15 when it took almost half a season and a big trade to set things as right as they could be.
Even with scapegoat David Blatt gone, the problems that plagued the team remain, and they’re now fueling rumors of a breakup, shakeup or something big happening. Stephen A. Smith (I know, take a deep breath internet) stated on First Take this morning that Kyrie Irving ideally would like to play for someone other than the Cavaliers.
Smith went on ESPN Cleveland to further elaborate on his earlier statements about Kyrie and dug up an even more juicy soundbite.
Stephen A says it’s an “absolute guarantee” that if the #Cavs don’t win a title this year then at least one of the big three will be gone.
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) February 29, 2016
He goes on to sort of back off that claim by saying the only way the Big 3 don’t come back is if there is no title coupled with no viable trade offers. This is the loophole Smith needs to be right on this one no matter what happens, as if no trade is made and no title is won, then the fallback is that there wasn’t a decent enough trade offer.
The most likely player to go seemed to be Kevin Love, but it might be Kyrie now. LeBron James is the dark horse to leave — again — but this is his team and he won’t get the de facto control he has in Cleveland anywhere else. Of course, this is all assuming that these rumors hold water, which we won’t find out until at least the summer.