5 Potential Trades Involving Kyrie Irving

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People are going crazy today with the news that Kyrie Irving had asked for a trade out of Cleveland. Where will he go? What could the Cavs get in return?

There are so many burning questions that we just can’t answer at this stage. But, what we did decide to do is look into a couple of trades that could send Kyrie out of Cleveland and to places like New York, Boston, Phoenix, San Antonio, or even Miami.

All of these trades were done in the ESPN Trade Machine as to make sure they would work salary wise. (If it works for the Trade Machine, it works for us!)

Trade Option 1: Kyrie goes to San Antonio

Why the Cavaliers should do it: Kyrie Irving is so talented, but if it comes to him demanding a trade out of Cleveland, then they have to do the best they can in this situation. DeMarcus Cousins is about the best they could possibly get in this situation.

Why the Spurs should do it: They are getting Kyrie and TT for LA and Danny…Of course they should do it!

Why the Pelicans should do it: This is obviously the tough one. DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis have not gotten a full year together quite yet and the Pelicans really want to see them go at it together. The problem is that Cousins only has 1 year left on his contract. If there’s any indication that he might not stay, then this trade starts to make some sense. If you can get rid of Asik’s contract and get LaMarcus Aldridge (who could work very well with AD) and the great defensive wing in Danny Green, then it’s probably worth making the deal. I’d understand if the Pelicans are the team that don’t make this trade happen though.

Trade Option 2: Kyrie to New York

Why the Cavaliers should do it: For this particular trade, it wouldn’t be easy for the Cavs to trade away Kyrie. Nobody knows how Carmelo Anthony would do alongside LeBron James, but you’d have to think LBJ would make it work. Abrines and McDermott are two shooters who would do fine as players to sit on the three-point line, catch LeBron’s passes, and make shots. I think the Cavs would want more than these three for Kyrie, but if they become desperate later on, maybe they pull the trigger on this deal.

Why the Knicks should do it: They were thinking about buying out Carmelo. Now they are getting Kyrie straight up for him? Yea…okay, next!

Why the Thunder should do it: The Thunder are beginning to build a team that is ready to contend. One problem they have is a lack of veteran presence on the 2nd unit. Switching out Abrines and McDermott for RJ and Frye is a step in the right direction for making this team look even more serious about contending.

Trade option 3: Kyrie to Boston

(Boston would add LA’s 2017 or SAC’s 2018 1st Round Pick)

Why the Celtics should do it: Isaiah Thomas’s contract only has 1 year left on it and if they can get Love and Kyrie for IT and the two others listed above, it is well worth it. The only problem would be trading that  pick which is so valuable. Sometimes these are the types of trades that need to occur though to be able to get to the Finals. The only question is if Danny Ainge is willing to do it.

Why the Cavaliers should do it: LeBron James would have no problem with convincing Isaiah Thomas to sign on in Cleveland next summer. Jae and Horford supply a defensive presence that LeBron hasn’t been accustomed to. He’ll be losing some of the offensive outburst with Kyrie and Love gone, but would get a lot of help on defense.

Trade Option 4: Kyrie to South Beach

Why the Heat should do it: The Heat would be getting Kyrie Irving as their new starting point guard and could be the new face of the franchise next to Hassan Whiteside. It’d be sooo hard to get rid of Justise Winslow who has shown so much promise, but it’d be worth it in the long run.

Why the Cavaliers should do it: Contrary to many people’s beliefs, Goran Dragic is a very good point guard. Statistically last season, he did almost as good, if not better, than Kyrie Irving:

NUMBERS DON’T LIE.

Well, at times they do, maybe even in this case. But, there is no denying Goran Dragic’s abilities. He’d be fine with handing off some of the ball-handling duties to LeBron as he has shown that he can produce fine off-ball. Not nearly as well, but adequately. Justise Winslow is the piece that would make this trade worth it. He has already proven that he is a terrific defender and in time, he could very well become one of the top players in the league.

Trade Option 5: Kyrie to Phoenix

Why the Knicks should do it: It is well worth it to trade Carmelo Anthony for Eric Bledose and T.J. Warren. Bledsoe is so talented, just needs to beat that injury bug. T.J. Warren is a bucket waiting to happen and is still very young.

Why the Suns should do it: The Suns would be getting Kyrie and that is all that has to be said here.

Why the Cavaliers should do it: This is the part that seems very far-fetched. Trading RJ and Kyrie for Carmelo isn’t very plausible, but could happen if the Knicks eat up some of that contract. Like I’ve said before, LBJ could make it work with Melo in Cleveland. What might’ve been better is if the Cavs simply accepted Bled, Warren, and a pick for Kyrie. I’m not sure how interested the Cavaliers would be in that combination but I do know that Bledsoe and LeBron are friends and would love to play together.

 

These are 5 possible trades we had come up with. Some are more feasible than others, but it’s hard to put a trade value on Kyrie right now. We just don’t know how desperate the Cavaliers will end up getting to trade him. My guess is that they won’t be desperate at all and Irving stays in Cleveland. If I’m wrong and he does get traded though, maybe one of these teams will be his next destination.

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