NBA Trade Rumors: Cavs’ Kyrie Irving To Spurs Possible, San Antonio Interested In Trade, But Will Cavs Accept?
If the latest NBA trade rumors indicate anything, Kyrie Irving could find himself a member of the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs seem to like the idea of a trade at the very least, and Irving has made it known he’d sign a contract extension to help a deal go through. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers may not be as interested in a deal with the Spurs due to the Cavs’ plan moving forward. Once again, it will come down to their superstar LeBron James and his future with the team. Here are the latest details on the Cavs’ Kyrie Irving, what San Antonio could give up, and why Cleveland might not be so interested in the deal as they look ahead.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Spurs could offer the Cleveland Cavaliers players such as LaMarcus Aldridge, Tony Parker, and Danny Green in a potential deal for the Cavs’ All-Star guard. However, Cleveland is not as interested in the “win-now deal” which these veteran players would give them. This is mainly due to the fact that LeBron James is going to be a free agent at the end of the season and could be headed elsewhere. Rumors have suggested LeBron will end up with the Los Angeles Lakers for the next stage of his career, which means it will be the second time he chooses to depart Cleveland for a new scene.
With the knowledge of the possibilities of both their top stars leaving the team, Cleveland is much more interested in making a trade for younger players or draft pick assets to allow them to rebuild their team. Unfortunately for the San Antonio Spurs, they just don’t have much in the way of those assets to offer the Cavaliers. Teams that have popped up in the ongoing NBA trade rumors about Kyrie Irving have included the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks, as each of these squads can offer the right mixture of younger players and picks.
Once again, though, these deals are not going through due to those teams’ reluctance to part with their potential future stars. For the Suns, it’s their No. 4 pick Josh Jackson, and for the NY Knicks, it’s Kristaps Porzingis that the team wants to keep. Carmelo Anthony was even mentioned as a potential trade asset for the Knicks to send to the Cavs, but Anthony is only interested in being sent to the Houston Rockets.
Another team that’s been mentioned in Kyrie Irving trade rumors, but that hasn’t actively made an offer, is the Boston Celtics. Reportedly, the Cavaliers are interested in their newest young star Jayson Tatum as part of a deal. However, there have been no conversations between the two teams. Boston also has upcoming draft picks and some other assets that could potentially work in a deal. Still, reports indicate that many of the teams interested in making a deal for Irving will wait until around September to get more serious.
San Antonio Spurs fans probably wouldn’t mind seeing Kyrie Irving on the same court with NBA MVP finalist Kawhi Leonard. That would provide a powerful one-two punch and possibly give Kyrie the type of role he wants on a team where the other star defers to him. Leonard is a proven defensive stud who isn’t always known for high-scoring performances. Irving would be able to provide more of that, as well as another great “go to” option when the team needs late buckets. Still, the hangup is due to Cleveland having no interest in trying to win against the Warriors over the short term when they have a long term team to manage.
So while the idea for a Kyrie Irving trade to San Antonio is great, it seems like a far-fetched fantasy situation at this point for Spurs fans. Cleveland still holds the leverage in the deals, though, and will likely continue to shop for the best possible deal for them going forward. More of those should arrive as the NBA season arrives. In all reality, the Cavs have more than just a season to field plenty of offers.
[Featured Image by Jason Miller/Getty Images]
