The Cleveland Cavaliers are having a peculiar offseason, making some questionable moves while their second best player, Kyrie Irving, has demanded a trade. The Cavaliers are open to trading Irving but they are demanding a lot for the superstar point guard. According to the latest rumors, the Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the interested teams in acquiring Irving.
Just a year after helping the Cleveland Cavaliers win their first-ever NBA championship, Kyrie Irving made headlines when league sources told Brian Windhorst of ESPN that the 25-year-old point guard asked the team to trade him this offseason. Irving reportedly wants to get out of LeBron James’ shadow, and he preferred getting traded to Miami, Minnesota, New York, or San Antonio.
The trade value of Irving is off the charts because he is just entering his prime and 20 teams have shown interest in him. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers are not going to trade their second-best player without a hard bargain. The Cavaliers are expected to demand a lot for Irving, and they are not afraid to wait until the best offer comes.
The Timberwolves, one of the teams Irving wants to get traded to, has one of the best young talent pools in the league. According to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN in St. Paul (h/t Bleacher Report ), the Cavaliers want Andrew Wiggins and other assets for Kyrie Irving.
Wolfson noted the Timberwolves have not offered Wiggins to Cleveland and trade between the two teams is not close to happening. Minnesota already has a solid team that can challenge for a top-four spot in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves added Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague to a roster already loaded with players such as Andrew Wiggins, Gorgui Dieng, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
In a recent interview with the Minneapolis Star-Tribune , Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor insisted that he wants Andrew Wiggins to stay and sign a five-year extension. The two sides are currently negotiating a deal and they are expected to agree on a max contract before the start of the season.
On the other hand, the Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly have six offers for Kyrie Irving but they are not in a hurry. Some of the teams linked with Irving besides the Timberwolves are the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, and Phoenix Suns. The Suns and Nuggets are real threats to acquire Irving from the Cavaliers but only one thing is certain at the moment, Kyrie is looking to leave Cleveland.
Terry Pluto of cleveland.com noted that Irving desperately wants to get out of Cleveland, and his wish might happen by the start of training camp. Irving has started taking shots at LeBron James on social media as he was caught laughing at Stephen Curry, who was doing the LeBron James challenge at Harrison Barnes’ wedding over the weekend.
It is safe to say that Kyrie Irving is not going to be with the Cleveland Cavaliers next season. Several NBA insiders have confirmed that he wants out of Cleveland, but his new team is still just speculation at the moment. Expect more rumors regarding the matter to pop up as training camp approaches.
[Featured Image by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]
