It’s almost been a month since news came out about Kyrie Irving requesting for a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers, but until now, his next destination is still unknown, and there’s still no team that has emerged as a top landing spot for him. With the lack of development in the four-time All-Star’s trade saga, there is now growing belief that it’s adding on to LeBron James’ displeasure of the team’s current state, which may force him to leave Northeast Ohio once again next summer.
However, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Cavs might be brewing something in a potential blockbuster trade, as their front office executives are apparently fixated on the idea of adding a young talent, who can be part of their squad for years to come. He named four players which the team might be going after, to help continue their recent run of success.
“[Kristaps] Porzingis has emerged as a primary Cleveland target, but that’s a conversation that can occur only with Cleveland’s willingness to unburden the Knicks of the three years and $55 million left on Joakim Noah’s contract. For now, the conversation is a nonstarter for the Knicks, league sources said.”
“The Cavaliers find themselves far more fixated on a young star, including New York’s Kristaps Porzingis, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Phoenix’s Josh Jackson and Denver’s Jamal Murray, league sources told ESPN.”
While Porzingis may have the most impressive credentials among the group of players, one thing he can definitely give the Cavaliers is versatility in their frontcourt and his athleticism. He will allow Kevin Love to continue playing at the four spot, and both of them can serve as stretch bigs, to give The King more room to operate.
A potential trade for the two incoming rookies, or the Nuggets’ second-year player is also an intriguing prospect for the Wine and Gold, as they can all provide the Cavs with different looks both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.
It remains to be seen which direction the Cavaliers will ultimately take, but who they’ll actually pursue is still up in the air at this point. One thing that’s certain though, is it will depend heavily on which team they’ll want to make their trade partner for the services of Irving.