We Tried Really Hard to Trade for Kyrie

[Nolan]

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/248501/Spurs-Tried-Really-Hard-To-Trade-For-Kyrie-Irving

When Kyrie Irving requested a trade from the Cavaliers, he mentioned the Knicks, Wolves and Spurs as teams he would like to be moved to.

Irving was ultimately traded to the Celtics, but the Spurs were one of the teams active in trying to acquire him.

"San Antonio tried really really hard to get him," said Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Spurs' main trade chips in the offseason were LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green.

San Antonio already had re-signed Patty Mills by that point in the offseason while Tony Parker was rehabbing his injury from the playoffs.

I think we're all pretty well aware that a real effort was made to get him over the summer but I'm more curious what our team would of looked like if we had managed to get him. What would we have realistically given up? And would of been worth it?

[G R E Y]

Given the injury to Kawhi, the question of worth is key, seeing as how the article mentions LMA and/or Green as potential centrepieces going the other way, and how LMA has been central to maintaining some much needed stability in the whirlwind of an injury-plagued roster. If both went out, that's almost $31.5M outgoing, and Irving makes exactly what Kawhi does, so either we'd get a bad contract back or a third team would have to have been involved (among other scenarios, those are always the initial check points). It's also hard to talk about worth without seeing all the cards of a prospective trade on the table. But the whispers about potentially acquiring Irving and trying to lure Conley in free agency only inflame the sense that a different roster direction was being pursued than the one we have, one with LMA and/or Green not on it.

Now, we're thin enough as it is at both the 4 and 5, with the greatest of respect to LMA, Pau, and Rudy. It's just a function of age (and so minutes management), injury (same), and lack of depth from Lauvergne (Bertans can play both forward positions, but that sometimes looks like versatility, sometimes like patchwork).

Cavs accepted two PFs (I think) having two already, so the keys, I think, were always filling the outgoing position, and the biggest carrot of all, that high Brooklyn pick. So short of throwing Kawhi their way which was never going to happen, it was always going to be negotiating from a weaker position. Cavs didn't have to go looking for a PG elsewhere, and should LeBJ leave, they have yet another opportunity at getting a high draft pick and be in a position to rebuild faster with such an asset.

I don't recall hearing anything about Kawhi's injury until maybe around pre-season or so, and then the extent of it was revealed as the season rolled on. I don't even know if it happened around that time or earlier and it was something the Spurs knew but kept to themselves. You'd have to think the former if they were willing to potentially part with LMA/Green. Maybe Murray or Wright would have gone the other way? TP was still out and Patty was re-signed.

Say we got Irving somehow. We'd have to acquire another starting PF (maybe one would be coming back?) or give a really green guy the starting position, most likely doing a PF-by-committee. I'm sure the Spurs brass had 4-D chess scenarios I couldn't dream of, but you sort of get the feeling that, should the opportunity arise, parting with LMA is ever an option which is interesting in itself.

[imagump1313]

I'm sure we told them LMA was available so what can we work out?
When all that was going down though, I dont think we could have gotten a bag of used balls for Aldridge.
I pretty positive Cleveland counters with "what about Kaw...?" and we hung up.

If Cleveland had any idea at that time that Aldridge would play anything near the way he is playing now I think they might have done it. (but no one thought that)

As far as what we would have done at PF had it happened? I'm sure they had some type of plan, maybe we convince David Lee not to retire? Or maybe send Danny Green and take on Thompson's awful contract?
When a player like that is a possibility, I'm guessing they were just trying to get him here first and fill in the blanks later. If I know our front office, I'm sure they had a plan in place.

[jptremblay]

I wasn't much excited about that move, never have been a Kyrie's fan those years...but after seeing him with Celtics I'm pissed that we were unable to get him.
I can't blame Cavs management since that Brooklyn pick looked so well in summer but I think something like Aldridge+Green+our first would have been more useful for them.
Sincerely, I'm not a big LA fan and Green often looks like the best perimeter defender in the league and at the same time the dumbest offensive player...also, while being a great shooter he's just too inconsistent.

Now we are stuck into Aldridge long term contract which isn't bad but along Pau and Mills contracts...we can't do nearly anything to improve our roster.

Pau- useful signing AKA DLee last year.
Gay-Bertans
Kawhi- Kyle
Bryn-Manu
Kyrie-Parker

That would have mean probably that we didnt give that dumb contract to Mills (a fantastic role player and a great guy) and maybe a ringchaser would have signed with us so we didn't need to resign Pau to a 48 million salary...

That's definetily the worst summer of our management that I remember. Hopefuly may I be wrong by July.