We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com.
Welcome to an all-Kyrie Irving edition of the Mailbag:
How long do you predict until a Kyrie trade will happen? Who made the best offer that the Cavs should take? — Nick Klipstein
Here’s the dilemma the Cavaliers face: The best offers may not come until mid-December, when most free agents who signed this summer are eligible to be traded. However, waiting would mean playing out the feud between Irving and LeBron James through training camp and the first two months of the regular season. Minnesota, for example, is on Irving’s reported list of the four places he would like to go. The Wolves are said to be interested, but no deal makes sense without including Jeff Teague, who just signed a three-year, $57MM deal with Minnesota. We’ll see how long new Cavs GM Koby Altman can wait to pull the trigger on a trade if James and Irving keep taking swipes at each other on social media. As far as the best offer, nobody knows for sure what the Cavs are hearing, but they reportedly want a veteran, a young player and draft picks. To predict Kyrie’s destination, focus on the teams who can offer that.
Any chance New York, Cleveland and Houston just get together and send Kyrie to the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony to Rockets and Cleveland gets stuff from both? — Vijay Cruz, via Twitter
The problem with that scenario is Ryan Anderson‘s contract, which has been holding up all trade proposals between the Knicks and Rockets. Carmelo will make more than $26.2MM next season. The Rockets are well over the cap and can’t absorb that figure unless they get rid of Anderson, who is owed more than $61MM over the next three years. The Knicks don’t want to take on that salary, and the Cavaliers wouldn’t trade Irving for Anderson, who is a scaled-down version of Kevin Love. A fourth team — and maybe more — would be needed to make the deal work, and the Knicks and Rockets haven’t been able to find any takers.
I feel like no one is talking about the Jazz’ chances to land Kyrie. They have the perfect mix of young assets [Rodney Hood, Dante Exum], vets [Joe Johnson, Derrick Favors] and a solid point guard in Ricky Rubio that could be mixed and matched into a variety of trade packages that the Cavs should find very tempting. The Jazz are also an incredible defensive team that could hide Kyrie’s lack of defense and give him full rein of an offense that without him is fixed to struggle to average over 100 points a game this year. Am I overstating this, or are the Jazz really the best option for the Cavs and the best system for Kyrie? — Matt Mervis
We know that 20 teams have contacted Cleveland about Irving and at least six — the Spurs, Clippers, Heat, Knicks, Suns and Timberwolves — have made offers. We don’t know Utah’s level of interest, but you’re right in saying they have the type of assets that Cleveland wants. The Jazz also have full possession of their future draft picks, so that’s another way they could sweeten an offer. Irving would fit well with the personnel in Utah and it would certainly give him the spotlight he wants. The only concern is whether Salt Lake City is a big enough market to make him want to stay when his option year arrives in 2019. The Jazz could become a surprise candidate in the bidding for Kyrie. Stay tuned.
I feel the Bucks are also in a good position to snag Kyrie. They have the vets (Middleton, Delly) the young players (Jabari, Brogdon) and all of their future draft picks. Bucks would likely have to take Shumpert in a potential deal though
As a Cavs fan, I think Middleton, Brogdon, and a pick or two would be an ideal return for Kyrie. I’d love if they would also take Shumpert and/or include Delly (Cavs fans still love him), but who knows if Milwaukee would do that
If I’m Milwaukee, I’m probably not trading Middleton, Brogdon and Parker for Irving.
If I’m Cleveland, I don’t think I’d trade Irving for Middleton, Brogdon and one or two lower first rounders. Maybe though.
When the Cavs say they want a vet they mean someone like Melo not delledova or favors
Sources have said the Cavs aren’t interested in Melo and neither is Melo interested in the Cavs. The best vet the Cavs can acquire at this point is Bledsoe but Phoenix seems unwilling to give up young players and future picks in the deal so far
Well, most reports say Cleveland is interested in Carmelo, and that Carmelo is willing to waive his no trade clause only for trades to Houston or Cleveland… As of July 12: “While the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks continue to explore trade possibilities that would send Carmelo Anthony to Houston, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cleveland Cavaliers remain interested in acquiring the superstar.
Wojnarowski wrote, “Anthony is willing to waive his no-trade clause for a deal to the Rockets or Cavaliers, league sources said. The Cavaliers haven’t abandoned pursuit of Anthony, league sources said.”
4 days ago a league source said that Anthony’s first choice is Houston and that the Cavs were not interested in the Knicks offer for Kyrie.
delly is trash juice
Pheonix please give only Bledsoe Chandler Dudley and Miami pick not more !!!
I love how your offer slowly increases. If they wait into the season you would be ok with one of Warren or Chriss too lol
Suns for championship 2020 :) we have all I need in 3 years i hope it
If the Knicks were sending Melo to Houston, and getting KI in the deal, then I think they would take Anderson and any other toxic waste the matching rules allow. Problem is, combined, Houston and the Knicks don’t have much to send to Cleveland.
Who goes to Cleveland Then? Porzingis?