Kyrie Irving has told the Cleveland Cavaliers that he wants to be traded, and gave the Cavaliers four teams that interested him. While he holds little leverage as his contract doesn’t include a no trade clause, the teams in question hold some power as being teams that are theoretically favored when it comes time to re-sign Irving. While the New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and San Antonio Spurs all hold appealing options in terms of veterans and prospects, the Miami Heat hold what could be the best options for a trade package.
According to Joe Vadon of Cleveland.com, the Cavaliers have a pretty good idea of what return they want from trading the all-star point guard.
The word is out around the NBA. The Cavaliers want a veteran starter, a blue chipper on a rookie contract, and a first-round pick for Kyrie Irving.
Many teams have been contacting Cleveland with numerous trade offers that come close to what the team wants, with Miami having exactly what the Cavaliers may seek. It’s already been reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Goran Dragic and Justice Winslow would be the two primary pieces of a potential trade for Irving. However, even with two of the three traded needs checked off for the Cavs, the package isn’t enough to move the needle all the way towards getting completed. One more piece will be needed to get the conversation closer to action. There are three options the Heat can take that could push this deal closer to reality.
Matt Slocum | AP
For all of these trade options, Kay Felder will be included to match the available roster spots as the second player that allows the Cavaliers to acquire Winslow. Felder is still a young developing player that has a lot of potential to be a 6th man scoring PG off the bench in his career, if not become a quality starter with enough development.
One option would be to include Iman Shumpert in the trade and acquire Tyler Johnson. While Shumpert is a known defensive presence and has proven his worth, Tyler Johnson ends up looking like the better player when digging deeper into their stats. Johnson had a superior Defensive Win Share of 2.7 and Defensive Rating of 107 per 100 possessions last season. Shumpert only clocked in at 1.4 DWS and 112 DRTG respectively. Johnson’s offensive stats are also superior, averaging 16.6 PTS and 3.9 AST per 36 minutes last year, compared to Shumpert’s 10.5 PTS and 2.0 AST per 36 minutes last year. Add in Johnson’s ability to play both guard positions, as well as a better and longer contract (three years and owed $5.8 million next year) than Shumpert’s (two years and owed $10 million next year).
While this option wouldn’t yield a future draft pick, it improves the Cavaliers bench with a great up and coming combo guard that can contribute now and in the future. One downfall of it would be the money owed to Johnson over his final two years of his contract ($19 million each of the last two years with the last being a player option), as well as a 15% trade kicker. Both of these things could cause difficulties in adding Johnson to the speculated trade, although his potential and familiarity with backing up and playing with Dragic would be welcome additions. This deal may be the most out there, but would give the Cavaliers a quality veteran starter at PG, with two promising young players that can contribute now and into the future.
Steve Mitchell | USA TODAY Sports
A second option in a potential Kyrie Irving trade to the Heat would be to include recent lottery pick Bam Adebayo. Bam still has yet to play an official NBA game so there isn’t much to go off of but his potential, but he made a believer of some in the summer league, and was still a lottery pick this year. He may not be a versatile wing player which seems to be the sought after position at the movement, but could still make a fine player sooner or later. Bam would fit in the trade for Irving, but the Cavs would have to move another player to make room for him. The best guess of a player to send alone would be either Channing Frye or Edy Tavares depending on team need, and whether the Heat would want an expiring contract or a project at center.
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The third option is a simple one but effective. The Heat would fit all three categories that the Cavs want line by line. They would send over Goran Dragic, Justice Winslow, and a future first round pick (likely either 2019 or 2020, one would guess). There is a possibility that one first round pick wouldn’t do it based on the playoff potential according to team rankings, then two first round picks could be on the table.
Breaking down all three likely trade options in a Cavaliers-Heat trade next to each other looks like this:
Option One:
Cavs receive Goran Dragic, Justice Winslow, and Tyler Johnson.
Heat receive Kyrie Irving, Kay Felder, and Iman Shumpert.
Option Two:
Cavs receive Goran Dragic, Justice Winslow, and Bam Adebayo.
Heat receive Kyrie Irving, Kay Felder, and Channing Frye/Edy Tavares.
Option Three:
Cavs receive Goran Dragic, Justice Winslow, and future first round pick(s).
Heat receive Kyrie Irving and Kay Felder.
It’s going to be next to impossible to get an equal return on any trade involving Kyrie Irving. He’s a solidified star in the association, and an elite offensive talent with arguably the best handles in the league. With the potential returns that Miami could provide though, it might be the best and most realistic scenario out there to continue to compete for a championship now, while also setting up the Cleveland Cavaliers for the future as well.