Undoubtedly one of the best point guards in the league, the entire league, especially the Cleveland Cavaliers’ fans, were shocked when news leaked to media that Kyrie Irving requested to be traded out. Clearly, he wanted out of LeBron James’ shadows.
One cannot blame Kyrie for his decision to leave Cleveland. He was about to become the centerpiece of the Cleveland Cavaliers when he signed a five-year extension before King James decided to come back home.
Interested NBA teams
Since Kyrie’s request to be traded leaked to the public, the latest number of interested NBA teams has risen to 20; 6 of these teams are said to be serious contenders.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, these teams who have already made offers to the Cavaliers for Irving are as follows: the San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Phoenix Suns, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the New York Knicks, and the Miami Heat.
Of these six teams, the 6’3” four-time NBA All-Star was said to be interested in three teams, namely the Knicks, the Heat, and the Wolves. However, the Cavs front office still has the final say on which team they will entertain as a trade partner.
Carmelo Anthony - like trade package
League sources familiar with the rumblings inside the Cavaliers front office said that the team’s new general manager Koby Altman has “a textbook way to open trade discussions”.
According to the reports, Altman wants a package that looks closely like when the Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets. But it’s not an easy trade to do, here’s why.
The trade involving Carmelo Anthony includes three teams (Knicks, Wolves, and Denver Nuggets) and 13 players. The Knicks acquired Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter and forwards Renaldo Balkman, and Shelden Williams from Denver, and Corey Brewer from the Timberwolves.
The Nuggets got Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, a future first-round draft selection, two future second-round draft selections, the right to exchange 2016 first-round draft selections, cash considerations from the Knicks, and Kosta Koufos from Minnesota. In turn, the Wolves got Eddy Curry, Anthony Randolph and cash considerations to the Knicks, and acquired a future second round draft selection from Denver.
Is Kyrie leaving Cleveland, inevitable?
Sounds like a lot of work to do. But more than that, it looks like GM Altman wants to send a message – they felt no obligations to give in to Kyrie’s request, according to Wojnarowski. Yet many think that Kyrie leaving Cleveland is inevitable, lest, they want to see what would transpire between LeBron James and Kyrie Irving at training camp.
Plus, people who have played with or against Kyrie have one thing in common – they want him on their side. For instance, Kyrie’s former teammate told one Western Conference GM, “He's an animal. Forget whatever you hear about him off the court. Go get him.”
Even an elite point guard playing in the East told another GM to go get Kyrie, “I don't like him personally, but I hate playing against him. I'd trade a lot to get him.” We’ll see how things will develop.
