In wake of Kyrie Irving requesting a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers, it has left the organization in the position of deciding whether or not to comply with their All-Star guard’s wishes.
If the Cavaliers were to go down that route, Zach Lowe of ESPN is reporting that the team would be expecting a hefty return for the 25-year-old.
The Cavaliers are projecting confidence they can snare a king’s ransom for Kyrie Irving, and more than that, they are acting — for now — as if a trade is almost inevitable, and that there is little chance of salvaging their relationship with him, according to several sources familiar with the situation.
In the last three years, Irving has developed into one of the premier point guards in the league behind his scoring ability. He is also coming off a career-best season where he averaged 25.2 points along with notching 20 or more points 60 times. Irving was also a huge offensive factor in the postseason averaging 25.9 points with 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
He is one of the top talents in the league that would warrant back a huge haul in exchange. There is also the huge benefit of him being under contract for the final three years of his five-year, $94.3 million deal. It also includes a $21.3 million player option for the 2019-20 season.
If the Cavaliers are serious about moving on from Irving, there could several intriguing landing spots such as the Boston Celtics, who have expressed their interest in him and possess a plethora of trade assets. Meanwhile, Irving has singled out the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, and Minnesota Timberwolves as desired destinations.