The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a messy situation this offseason, to say the least. After failing to win the NBA championship last season, the Cavaliers aren't looking like a team that's ready to compete for the title next year. They lost convincingly in the 2017 NBA Finals, as the Golden State Warriors dominated them and won the series 4-1.
It became clear that the Cavs are short of the talent and chemistry to go toe-to-toe with Golden State. And to make things worse, Cleveland hasn't made any major moves this summer in order to narrow the gap between themselves and the Warriors.
And if you thought that's all, well it's not. LeBron James will be a free-agent in the summer of 2018 and there are some indications that he might leave the team next year.
Earlier this week LeBron expressed his frustrations about the team's inability to acquire marquee free-agents this summer. Apparently, one other Cavaliers star is also aware of the moment and it seems like the Cleveland Cavaliers might be in serious trouble.
Kyrie Irving wants out
ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on Friday that Kyrie Irving reportedly asked the Cavaliers front office to trade him. According to Windhorst, this request was made last week and reportedly Irving and his agent talked to the Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.
Kyrie Irving requests a trade from Cavs, sources told ESPN. LeBron James was blindsided and is disappointed: https://t.co/54afvYge9V
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) 21. srpnja 2017.
Irving told the Cavaliers management that he wants to be traded away from Cleveland as he's looking for a bigger role, and wants to be the number one option on his potential new team.
The news about Irving's request came as a shock to everybody around the NBA, since everybody thought Irving's relationship with LeBron James was good.
As ESPN's sources reported, Irving said that he doesn't want to play alongside LeBron James anymore at this point of his career. It was also reported that LeBron James was informed about Kyrie's trade request, and he was stunned and disappointed to hear that Irving wants out of Cleveland.
Chaos in Cleveland
The Cavaliers drafted Irving as the number one pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He has spent all of his six seasons so far with the Cavaliers, and last season he averaged a career-high 25.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. Irving was a major part of Cleveland's 2016 NBA title, and it's hard to say why he asked to be traded.
The 6-foot-3 point guard from Australia has three years left on his current contract with the Cavs but has the option to opt out of the final year. With LeBron James potentially leaving the team in 2018 and Kyrie Irving ready to be traded now, the Cavaliers are looking at a catastrophic outcome in the years to come.
