When Kyrie Irving’s request to be traded came out in the open, only one question was asked: “How much?” At least twenty NBA teams readily showed interest about the four-time All-Star; six of them already laid down offers: the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, and San Antonio Spurs.
Among these teams, the San Antonio Spurs is reportedly the top choice of Kyrie. Now which amongst its players are included in the package to get the 25-year old top caliber point guard?
Kawhi Leonard is untouchable, period
In terms of ability, contract length, salary, and age, it’s very obvious Kawhi Leonard’s numbers equals that of Kyrie. But his edge gets even higher when talks about defense and overall performance come in. So Kawhi is out of the Trade equation. Definitely not - Kawhi is the Spurs’ most valuable asset and his status as “untouchable” remains. Take it from no less than the greatest player of all-time, Michael Jordan:
If Manu Ginobili returns as what he reportedly intends to do, no one sees him playing for any coach other than Gregg Popovich. It’s either he signs with the Spurs or retires, so it looks like Manu is also out of the equation. The one that is most likely to be traded is Danny Green who started his NBA career incidentally, with the Cavaliers.
The thing is, Danny has become one of the Spurs’ trusted lieutenants and it’s hard to imagine having him defend against Kawhi sometime in the near future.
There were reports that Kyrie Irving was initially targeted by the Spurs to replace the injured Tony Parker. And like Manu, no one sees him playing for another NBA team. If Tony stays, there is a big chance French Joffrey Lauvergne, whom he helped recruit, also stays.
LaMarcus Aldridge angle
If the Cleveland Cavaliers really wanted someone imposing presence down the baseline while retaining a stretch big man like Kevin Love, they might want to include LaMarcus Aldridge on the trade. This way, the Cavs can also dispose of the multi-million dollar contract of Tristan Thompson who proved ineffective against the Golden State Warriors.
A direct trade between the two players is also a possibility as this satisfies the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement according to RealGM Trade Checker (Trade ID #6931855). Two things though - LaMarcus is already 32-years old and can opt out next year; Kyrie is just 25 and has two years left before he can opt out.
There were reports that the Portland Trail Blazers are seeking to bring LaMarcus back into its fold. Spurs might look into a possibility of offering a trade which will include sending the big man back to where he first belong, gives the Cavaliers what they are looking for, and gets Kyrie in return.
