It is not a secret that Kyrie Irving wants to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and a lot of teams are inquiring about him. Latest reports say that 20 NBA teams have shown interest in the All-Star point guard and six teams have made trade offers for him. However, it seems that the Cavaliers are asking for too much in return, so it may take a while until they find a trade that will improve their team.
It seems that the Phoenix Suns are interesting in acquiring Kyrie Irving, and the Cavaliers wouldn't mind trading him there if they can get certain players in exchange for him.
If the point guard ends up on the Suns, he will finally get what he wants, which is his own team. Irving is only 25 and he is already one of the best players in the league. He would turn the Suns into playoff contenders in the West, which would be a big thing.
The Cavaliers want two players and a draft pick
Joe Vardon's source says that the Phoenix Suns have the right assets to acquire Kyrie Irving. It is obvious that the Cavaliers won't trade him to any team as they want a lot in return, and that is something the Suns can offer right now.
If Phoenix offers Eric Bledsoe, Josh Jackson and the Miami Heat's first-round pick in next year's draft, the Cavaliers would accept the deal and they'd ship Irving to Arizona.
"If that deal (Bledsoe, Miami first-rounder and Jackson) for Irving was there, it'd be done by now," Vardon's source said.
Phoenix Suns should trade for Kyrie Irving
While it would seem that the Cavaliers are asking for too much, the Phoenix Suns would most likely be better off after this trade.
Eric Bledsoe is a great player and he is only 27, but he has a long history of injuries.
In last two seasons, Bledsoe averaged 20.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game, but he missed 67 games. He is a fantastic player, but his health is a big issue. Considering that the Cavaliers are in a win-now situation, they cannot afford to have major injury problems, and that is what the 27-year old guard would bring.
Josh Jackson would most likely be the most valuable piece the Suns could offer. However, even though he was the fourth overall pick in this year's draft, it will most likely take him a few years to become a star player. Trading for Jackson is a great move if the Cavaliers are thinking about their future, but he probably wouldn't help them a lot with winning a championship next year.
At the end, the draft pick the Cavaliers would get will not be valuable. This is the pick the Suns acquired from the Miami Heat a few years ago and taking into account how weak the East is, the Heat will most likely make the playoffs, which means the Cavaliers would not get a lottery pick.
On the other side, the Phoenix Suns would become a much better team with Irving.
While it's true that they would lose a great young player in Jackson, they'd upgrade Bledsoe with Kyrie Irving and would be a dangerous team next season. Irving has three more years left on his contract, including a player option on the final year.
