Dion Waiters wants Kyrie Irving to know something before he considers coming to Miami. Kyrie Irving requested a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers and said that the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New York Knicks were his preferred destinations. Waiters, who signed a four-year deal this offseason, had a message for his former teammate.
There's already a man in charge
In an interview with HipHopSince1987, Waiters said that there was already an alpha male in Miami. He welcomed the idea of having Irving as a teammate, but wanted to make sure that Kyrie Irving knew that he is the alpha.
Irving requested a trade because he was tired of living in Lebron James' shadow. He wanted to be the main man in town and the focal point of the offense.
Waiters and Irving were teammates for three season when Waiters played for the Cavaliers. Waiters had his best season in 2013 when he averaged 15.9 points per game. Waiters had his second best season this past year in Miami when he averaged 15.8 points -- which led to his pay raise. Having Irving and an improved Waiters on the same team would give the Heat some power on offense, but it would be interesting to see how the two would get along.
Chemistry problems not worth it?
There's a chance that the preferred list has dwindled down to one. Let's backtrack.
The Timberwolves are out, as the team recently signed Andrew Wiggins to a max contract. The Spurs do not have the cap space to make a deal with the Cavaliers. Now, the Heat would have chemistry problems if they made a deal. Having two players that would likely fight over shots would make the team worse -- not better. Goran Dragic is already a solid player, and the veteran has been running the point in South Beach for some time now.
Now, it looks like the the two remaining teams still in the running for Irving's services are the Knicks and the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are reportedly attempting to convince the Cavaliers to take Dragan Bender and Eric Bledsoe. The Suns are still likely out, though, as the team does not want to give up Devin Booker or Josh Jackson.
That would leave the Knicks as the leading contender, as Irving is from the area. Plus, he played high school basketball in New Jersey. The Knicks are trying to deal Carmelo Anthony to the Houston Rockets, so Irving would share the spotlight with Kristaps Porzingis. The move would allow the Knicks to build around Irving, Porzingis, and Tim Hardaway Jr.
