22 July, 2017
Sources: In the Kyrie Irving meeting with Cavs, one of primary teams raised as a preferred trade destination for him: The San Antonio Spurs.
We made a decision to list seven teams that would make the most intriguing trade destinations for Irving, the ones that would let him be a star and could include deals that lead to the Cavs saying yes.
Irving is said to have been close with former Cavs general manager, David Griffin, who was sacked in June. According to ESPN, Irving asked to be traded in a closed-door meeting with Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and noted that he no longer wanted to play alongside James.
Additionally, Windhorst reported LeBron James was "disappointed" to learn of Irving's request.
Drafted by the Cavaliers with the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft, Irving would forfeit the ability to sign a "supermax" contract with Cleveland in 2019 if he were to be traded. Irving is from the Tri-State area and could be swapped for Knicks' All-Star small forward Carmelo Anthony, who has grown frustrated in NY. Just before Griffin and the team chose to part ways, Griffin had been working on a three-team deal that would have brought Butler to the Cavs.
BetOnline.com is one of the offshore books that has taken its Cavaliers future odds down, but they have replaced it with some prop bets on where Irving will play next season.
But Irving's request - and Minnesota's apparent inclusion in it - are quite a bit more surprising.
A four-time All-Star, Irving averaged a career-high 25.2 points per game, 5.5 assists and shot.473 from the field in 35.1 minutes a night over 72 games.
The oddsmakers at the book report that their odds on the Cavaliers winning the 2017-18 National Basketball Association championship would drop from 4-to-1 to 7-to-1 should Irving be dealt.
This development could explain why the Cavaliers have been in negotiations with Knicks free agent point guard Derrick Rose.