Kyrie Irving reportedly close to firing agent Jeff Wechsler

Kyrie Irving is close to firing his agent, Jeff Wechsler, according to a report, and one of the reasons may be because he wants to leave the Cavaliers.

New York Daily News reporter Mitch Lawrence included the nugget about Irving and his agent in his must-read weekend column. According to Lawrence, Irving wants to leave Cleveland, while Wechsler wants him to stay, and the disagreement could be one of the reasons he is contemplating the move.

Irving, the former No. 1 pick in 2011, is still playing under his rookie contract. He has a team option for next season, and then the Cavs can give him a qualifying offer after that. But the team can offer him an extension in July, at which point we’ll really learn whether he has interest in staying with them longterm.

ESPN’s Chad Ford said earlier in the week that it’s well known that Irving wants out of Cleveland, which is something the young point guard denied. Lawrence says Irving, who is from New Jersey, wants to play for the Knicks.

When asked by reporters Saturday about the report, Irving said it was 100 percent false and that he is happy with his agent.

But why might an agent encourage him to stay with Cleveland?

The Cavs can offer Irving more money than another team. Another reason is that it might be bad for Irving’s image to leave the team that drafted him. You would think that playing in New York could offer Irving many more endorsement opportunities, but he already locked up a sponsorship deal with Pepsi, which could be another reason his agent doesn’t think leaving is necessary.

Whether Irving fires his agent or not, it sure seems like he’ll be leaving when he has the chance.