NBA Trade Rumors: Six teams have made offers for Kyrie Irving
By Joe Romano
Kyrie Irving requested a trade and teams are still figuring out what it will take to acquire him.
Teams are reaching out to the Cleveland Cavaliers to inquire what it will take to pry away Kyrie Irving. The star point guard’s trade request leaked last week and teams are putting their offers together.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that 20 teams have reached out to Cleveland about Irving. However, the six teams that have made actual offers are: The San Antonio Spurs, L.A. Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Miami Heat.
Wojnarowski shared that the Cavaliers are looking for a mix of promising young players, win now veterans and draft picks. However, the Jimmy Butler and Paul George deals this summer have changed the market for star trades.
"The Cavaliers want a package that resembles the 2011 Denver Nuggets-New York Knicks deal for Carmelo Anthony — young players, win-now veterans and draft picks, league sources said. For new general manager Koby Altman, this is a textbook way to open trade discussions. But for now, most Irving suitors are using the Minnesota Timberwolves-Chicago Bulls trade model for Jimmy Butler, a scaled-down model of Melo’s rich return of assets."
The most common trade destination mentioned for Irving has been the Phoenix Suns. They have a win now veteran who could replace Irving in the lineup in Eric Bledsoe. They are rich in young assets and draft picks. Wojnarowski stated that, “…the Suns are unwilling to include No. 4 overall pick Josh Jackson in a trade…”. Scoring machine Devin Booker is also considered to be untouchable.
The Suns were not on Irving’s preferred destination list. One of Irving’s preferred destinations was the Miami Heat, who Wojnarowski also mentioned.
"The Miami Heat are willing to part with Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow as centerpieces for an Irving trade, league sources said. With the Cleveland-Miami history, there’s little chance for a deal unless the Heat offered an overwhelming package."
It is hard to imagine other teams on that list putting together an offer that could top Miami’s or Phoenix’s. San Antonio’s main asset to trade would be LaMarcus Aldridge and it seems that Cleveland is not interested in him. The Timberwolves are reportedly unwilling to trade Andrew Wiggins. The Clippers have almost no young prospects to offer and can’t trade Blake Griffin, the team’s centerpiece, until mid-season.
The Cavaliers have been engaging on talks with the Knicks surrounding Carmelo Anthony for what seems like the entire summer. It would certainly take a third team with some assets to move the needle for Cleveland in an Anthony-Irving swap.
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Irving is 25-years-old and entering the prime of his career. It is rare for a player of that caliber and age to hit the market. On top of his accolades and age, Irving has two years remaining on his contract. Any team acquiring him would not just be getting a rental like the Thunder did with Paul George.
The Cavaliers do not seem to be, or need to be, in a rush to trade Irving. We could still be talking about this as camps open, which would make for an awkward first practice for Irving and LeBron James.