Kyrie Irving Trade Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers Had Deal Ready, Prefers San Antonio Spurs Over New York Knicks


Kyrie Irving trade rumors have certainly taken the league by storm. The Cleveland Cavaliers actually had a trade in place with Ivring involved before the 2017 NBA Draft took place, which could be an important piece of information to this situation. A new report by the Cleveland Plain Dealer presents this intriguing news, as former general manager David Griffin was apparently behind the potential move.

It was widely reported on Friday (July 21) that Kyrie Irving had asked for a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers. While the franchise is under no obligation to honor this request, it has certainly created a lot of NBA trade rumors about possible destinations. Among those stories have been New York Knicks rumors, with the team willing to deal Carmelo Anthony in exchange for an All-Star point guard like Irving. Another rumor suggests that he would prefer to play for the San Antonio Spurs.

Kyrie Irving’s contract calls for him to be paid roughly $18.7 million next season and then about $20.1 million for the 2018-19 NBA season. Irving then has a player option worth about $21.4 million for the 2019-20 NBA season that he could opt out of to sign a more lucrative deal. It has long been assumed that he wouldn’t finish out this contract, but if he is traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers, he will also miss out on a lot of money.

Sources who spoke with the Cleveland Plain Dealer have stated that the reason Irving has requested a trade is that he wants to be the focal point of a franchise and escape the long shadow of LeBron James. It turns out that this request has been brewing for a while and that it’s possible David Griffin already knew Irving’s thoughts. This could be why a draft-day trade of Kyrie Irving was already getting discussed with another team. The front office and ownership of the Cavs may regret not pulling that trigger a bit earlier.

Though these NBA trade rumors are still developing, this could soon become an untenable situation for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not all superstars get traded when they demand to get moved, though, as evidenced by when Kobe Bryant wanted to leave the Los Angeles Lakers but the franchise declined. There will be no shortage of teams ready to enter the sweepstakes for a Kyrie Irving trade, with the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls just a few of the teams that have already been mentioned.

[Featured Image by Jason Miller/Getty Images]

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