The Cleveland Cavaliers have found themselves in the midst of an ongoing situation concerning Kyrie Irving’s long-term future following his recent trade request.
However, Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report is now reporting that the Cavaliers are still holding out hope that things can still be worked out with Irving in order to ease any tension.
While league sources say the Cavaliers are exploring what they might be able to get for Irving, there are those within the team who believe whatever issues Irving has can be addressed and resolved when the players reconvene next month for training camp. They say Irving’s disgruntlement caught them by surprise because there were no indications of it during the course of last season and certainly not on the heels of last summer’s successful championship run. Irving is under contract with the Cavs for both this season and next, with a player option for a third.
Since Irving’s situation came to light, there have been some subtle shots sent back and forth between both Irving and James over the last few weeks. The latest came on Monday with the four-time league MVP sending out a tweet that seemed to reference the 25-year-0ld’s Instagram post over the weekend.
That said, there are just over two months until the start of next season which should provide plenty of time for the Cavaliers to attempt to hash things out with Irving. It also gives enough of a window for the 25-year-old to contemplate if this is the route that he indeed wants to take.
The only thing clear at this point in time in the offseason is that it’s a fluid situation that still has many moving pieces.