Kyrie Irving has reportedly asked the Cleveland Cavaliers to explore the possibility of trading him, and the star point guard has apparently already begun discussing preferred destinations with the team.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Chris Haynes of ESPN, Irving mentioned at least four teams — the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves — when he informed the Cavs he wants to be traded.
Sources: In the Kyrie Irving meeting with Cavs, one of primary teams raised as a preferred trade destination for him: The San Antonio Spurs.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 21, 2017
ESPN Sources: On Kyrie Irving front, Cavs were given four preferred landing spots: New York, Miami, San Antonio, Minnesota.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 21, 2017
It makes sense that Irving would want to be traded to a contender, and there’s no better coach in the NBA than Gregg Popovich. That said, one of the reasons Irving reportedly wants to leave Cleveland is he no longer wants to play alongside LeBron James. If the 25-year-old is looking to play for a team where he can be “the man,” he might not love sharing the spotlight with MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard. Though, Leonard isn’t nearly as big of a superstar as LeBron.
The Timberwolves have an exciting young core, especially now that they acquired Jimmy Butler. The Heat and Knicks are probably a little further away from contention.
We already heard of at least one other team that Irving could have interest in if he can force a trade. The Cavs will do everything they can to convince Irving to stay before dealing him, but it will be interesting to see how things turn out.
