Cleveland Cavaliers star point guard Kyrie Irving has asked the Cavaliers to trade him, sources told The Associated Press on Friday. Irving is understood to have made the request last week to owner Dan Gilbert.
irving, a four-time all-star, spent six seasons with the cavs, who selected him with the first overall pick in 2011. the 25-year-old overcame injury issues to become one of the elite points in the league. guards and biggest stars. But now that he’s finally settled down playing alongside LeBron James, Irving wants out.
He’s under contract for two more seasons with cleveland (he has a player option in 2020), but the cavs might be inclined to move to irving now and start another rebuild around james, who may opt out of his contract next summer and leave. Ohio for the second time.
The news adds to what has been a disappointing offseason for the cavs following their five-game loss to golden state in the nba finals. general manager david griffin parted ways with the club after failing to secure a new deal with gilbert and while other teams have been active in signing free agents, the cavs have been limited in their ability to renew their roster due to salary-cap issues . The Cavs also courted former NBA star Chauncey Billups, but were unable to get him to join their front office.
irving’s request may shed some light on the cavs’ recent search for former league most valuable player derrick rose. The team has talked to Rose about a one-year deal in recent days, according to multiple reports. Rose was thought to be a potential backup, but now it looks like he might be needed to start if the Cavs and Irving really are parting ways.
There is sure to be a lot of interest in irving, who averaged 25.2 points and a career-high 5.8 assists in 72 games last season. Irving averaged 25.9 points in his third straight final, but he and James couldn’t do enough to match the Warriors, who reclaimed their crown after bringing in Kevin last summer.
A potential business partner for the cavs could be the new york knicks, who have been trying to offload carmelo anthony, a close friend of james. irving is from new jersey and would like the opportunity to be close to home. However, the Knicks may not have enough assets to intrigue the Cavs and there is a sizable contract imbalance, so the Cavs would have to include other players in any potential deal.
Irving’s moment is strange. He finally became a bona fide superstar after three rocky seasons following James’s departure to Miami in 2010. Irving had no help during those years and the Cavs were in a state of disarray before James returned in 2014. In In his second year with James, Irving made the greatest shot in franchise history, hitting a 3-pointer in the closing moments of Game 7 to give the Cavs their first title, and the first for any professional Cleveland team since 1964.
by all accounts, irving and james got along, but there were times when they disagreed. James was demanding of his younger teammates, but he always insisted that Irving would become an excellent player. After Cleveland’s Game 5 loss in the Finals, Irving credited James for leading the way.
“It’s amazing,” Irving said. “As a student of the game, it would be a disservice to myself if I didn’t try to learn as much as possible while playing this guy. every day demanding more of himself, demanding more of us, the true testament of a consummate professional. and understanding how things work, not only in the game but also off the court, the things that matter, just taking care of your body, understanding the magnitude of the goal at hand and the steps needed to achieve that goal. ”
Moments earlier, James had walked off the court at Oracle Arena where Irving was waiting. They did their trademark handshake, and James told Irving, “We’ll be back.” now, they can go in opposite directions.