The Cavaliers will have their work cut out for them sorting through the drama of Kyrie Irving‘s recent trade request. The All-Star point guard is reportedly concerned about the roster he might be left with if LeBron James leaves the team next summer.
Simply getting ahead of the issue and trading James before he could possibly bolt via free agency, however, isn’t a realistic option. Per Chris Haynes of ESPN, James has no intention of waiving his no-trade clause to facilitate a rebuild.
James, one of three players in the NBA with such a clause, has signed a series of short contracts ever since he returned to the Cavaliers in the summer of 2014, a strategy that has helped him maximize his earning potential while applying consistent pressure to the team’s front office.
Given that 2017/18 is the last guaranteed year on his current deal, James could technically opt out of his 2018/19 player option, hit free agency and potentially join another club in less than a year, something that has been speculated about over the course of the last month.
While there’s no substantive indication that he will leave for the Lakers (or any other franchise), the fact that it’s a possibility is apparently concerning to Irving, who doesn’t want to be left out in the cold, alone with a roster built around James’ playing style.
That limits team owner Dan Gilbert and recently appointed Koby Altman in what they can do to resolve Irving’s concerns, if they do in fact decide to react at all.
Cleveland is going to be real bad, real soon.
The return of Sam Hinkie!!?
Seriously: why the hell not?
There are many players around the league who can win with James and Love, and Irving on offer opens doors to them. Cavs should be improved… depending on the FO response.
Like the Browns bad
What are they doing over there? Figure out how to dump Shumpert and JR and even Thompson. That should be the plan. If anything you try to flip Love for assets to make the team better.
or keep what you have and try to win a 2nd championship.
Still the best team in the East….why dump guys when they’re going for a title next year. Irving will get moved for guys that will still keep the team at top of East. If Lebron leaves, then Cavs can go full rebuild and dump those guys.
3 guys that don’t show up at all against GSW
Come on Austin. You have no idea what Kyrie is thinking or why he’s thinking it yet you post this, “the fact that it’s a possibility is apparently concerning to Irving, who doesn’t want to be left out in the cold?”
BTW, Good for LeBron. He knows he has at least one more year in Cleveland and IF he says ok to a waiver, the Cavs will have a difficult time of either 1. trying to trade Kyrie and getting anything that can help them win a 2nd ring. or 2. Maybe LeBron knows better about Kyrie and he wants to stay as he said he was going to do.
Woj reported about Kyrie’s reasons for wanting a trade already. I think mentioning Kyrie’s intentions based on previous reports is fair.
Trade Irving and Love quick to regain some picks and players.
LBJ forced his will and caused so many 1st round pick trades and high priced contracts that Cleveland will be in shambles once he leaves.
Trading all stars for picks that may one day, if lucky, be rotational players is a bad way to build a championship contending team.
Keep what you have as it was good enough to win a year ago.
A key # 2 (#1 on most teams) wants out now, today…better trade him now to get some ‘potential’…
LeBron to Golden State?
He’s not weak like Durant
No he only left his hometown to form a team in Miami to win a title. He is not weak and when do you see Durant cry constantly on the court like James. James is also going to leave again for greener pastures.
Yep. I remember how LeBron played with an MVP before he left the Cavs and how the heat played in the finals the year before after beating the Cavs, exactly like Durant did.
If Cavs had trash players around James and the heat missed the playoffs the season before LeBron got there it would have been way different.
Short memory, huh?
Bucks: Irving, Shumpert
Cavs: Middleton, Delly, Parker, 2018 1st, 2020 1st
Why exactly would bucks strip down the current and future roster. Terrible trade. I’d be more worried about your team upgrading “the process”
Sixers get
Kyrie Irving
Tristian Thompson
cavs get
Fultz
Okafor
Saric
Future first
Jabari is expendable with his knee issues. Reply has been replaced by Brogdon. Middleton is hard to trade but is necessary to pick up an elite scorer to pair with Giannis. Fultz is more versatile than Irving and has a higher defensive ceiling. Saric will also be good off the bench. Why would we pick an average center with a bad contract?
Reply is supposed to be Delly. Autocorrect lol
If they’re trying to win then keeping their younger players is a better option.
Two years of Kyrie Irving is not going to put them anywhere near the top.
New York make more sense since they have a similar situation of Melo wanting out so this may maximize their return here if they take on a bad contract alongside Irving.
Lmao I love it they’ve been crushed and self destruction after the warriors didn’t they business. 3 years of record breaking stuff. Yep lost one but won 2 so warriors the best!! Bye bye Cavs !!! Kyrie you rock go do your thing leave that bully James.
Oh how they forget how bad they were for so long….
Yea and they forget how if love and kyrie hadn’t been hurt for the first go around it would be 2-1 in favor of the cavs right now.
Revisionist history
There’s so many things wrong with this paragraph
Kyrie isn’t a free agent until ’19. LBJ can’t opt out until next year. If I’m the Cavs I take my shot this year, maybe add Melo as another piece, and just roll the dice on the future.
The Cavs are done. I hear the King is trying to go to the Rockets. Say all you want but Bron is always leaving teams to improve his chances. He is the biggest baby out there.
He’s been on two teams in 14 years what are you talking about? Same as DWade, KD, Heyward, George, Horford, Bosh, Michael Jordan.
Kyrie will be on his second team soon, Kobe wanted out of LA. What is it about LeBron that makes him have to stay on one team?
Shaq played for like 7 different teams, he must be the biggest baby of them all.
I disagree with the notion the roster is built around LeBron playing style/the Cavs offensive playstyle is half court based b/c of LeBron. If anything, that’s b/c of Kyrie. LeBron is wayyy better in the open floor, and has benefited, and would benefit, from playing a better pace. Learning how to play in the half court was important to getting him to the level he is at now, where he has won 3 championships. He can post up now, and therefore get easier opportunities for himself or his teammates, and that’s especially important in the playoffs, which LeBron finally learned after he lost to Dallas…the idea that Kyrie dribbling for 20 seconds and taking a contested shot isn’t the issue to Kyrie, and he is trying to put that in Lebron, just shows how selfish he really is right now. That team needs defense, and to play with more movement, the way LeBron played in Miami, proving that he clearly has no qualms playing a faster pace style
Why on Earth would the Cavs trade LeBron, the only reason they’ve been at all relevant in the last 15 years. They don’t need Kyrie to be the favorite in the East.
People forget that when he left Cleveland, the Cavs got 2 1st round picks for him, and the Heat didn’t even get the extra year out of him, which was the whole reason for the sign and trade in the first place.
Here I think the reasoning behind possibly moving LeBron is to get something legit back for him, but you’re right. If they have LeBron, it at least gives them a chance to win this year, especially if anything happens to GS along the way
LeBron is not loyal… Cleveland know this… he’s garbage to even think about leaving again… theirs no roster he can put together rite now better than wat they have to win ah championship…. let Kyrie go… sign Rose and cut ur losses
How is he not loyal? He first left because he was surrounded with absolute trash and even after he took garbage to the finals he wasn’t given anything by the front office. Then, after being hated on by Cleveland and their front office for leaving, he came back and gave them a championship. Foh with that he’s not loyal bs
I agree. He’s not loyal. He bolted on the Cavs. He bolted on Miami and he’s going to jerk the fans of Cleveland a second time. He’s a great player, but earns very little respect. He seems to require an awful lot of days off in the regular season and only revs it up in the playoffs. You never saw Russell, Wilt or Jordan half-arse the regular season.
Jordan left the Bulls twice, what do you think of him?