Kyrie Irving apparently has nothing left to discuss with the Cleveland Cavaliers after he informed the team he wants to be traded.
In his Thursday column, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic compared Irving’s current situation to what the Cavs went through with LeBron James in 2010. At one point, LeBron went completely dark and would not communicate with any members of Cleveland’s front office. The writing for his departure was on the wall then, and he eventually signed with the Miami Heat.
According to Lloyd, the Cavs have been unable to get Irving on the phone since reports surfaced revealing the star point guard wants out of Cleveland. Irving reportedly told the Cavs some teams he would prefer to be traded to, but he does not have a no-trade clause. If he can’t be convinced to stay, the team will simply look for the best deal possible rather than trying to send Irving to a destination he approves of.
Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman called the Irving situation “fluid” on Wednesday, and owner Dan Gilbert hinted that there is still a chance Irving could remain in Cleveland. If what we have heard about LeBron’s thoughts on the situation is true, it seems like Irving is as good as gone.
The biggest issue for the Cavs at this point is that every team in the NBA knows Irving doesn’t want to play for Cleveland anymore. That significantly lowers the 24-year-old’s trade value. If the Cavs can’t overcome that obstacle, they need to somehow convince Irving to change his mind.
