Cavaliers Seeking Blue Chip Young Player For Kyrie Irving

[E-Balla]

As a 76ers fan, I could see, and I guess accept, a Fultz-Okafor-Future 1st for Kyrie Irving, but I wouldn't be super excited because of Fultz's unknown potential. That said, I think the most likely team to trade for Irving is the Knicks. I predict the Knicks receive: Irving, JR Smith. Cavs receive: Carmelo Anthony, Frank Ntilikina, Mindaugas Kuzminskas (and his $3 mil non-guaranteed 1-year contract) and the 2018 1st, unprotected.

Bad deal for NY. Terrible deal. Kyrie demanded a trade. Just off that his value isn't high. Melo+Lee+2 protected 1sts is the most I'm giving up.

[MagicFan101]

I would be open to sending a package built around Aaron Gordon and future picks for Irving.

Gordon would do very well alongside a playmaking forward like Lebron.

While I hope Isaac emerges quickly enough that he and Irving together can push Orlando to the playoffs, there are likely enough growing pains ahead to get Cleveland exited about our picks.

[Yodi2007]

As a 76ers fan, I could see, and I guess accept, a Fultz-Okafor-Future 1st for Kyrie Irving, but I wouldn't be super excited because of Fultz's unknown potential. That said, I think the most likely team to trade for Irving is the Knicks. I predict the Knicks receive: Irving, JR Smith. Cavs receive: Carmelo Anthony, Frank Ntilikina, Mindaugas Kuzminskas (and his $3 mil non-guaranteed 1-year contract) and the 2018 1st, unprotected.

The 76er's would fire you and the Knickks would laugh you out the door for that offer! Irving has little value because of his past injuries!

[Hoopzilla]

Sure he left for greener pastures and left them with crap contracts

That is the only relevant part of your quote, the rest is just justification and posturing. He left them for dead the first time. Then they were miraculously able to rebuild and have a good young roster moving forward. He obviously couldn't stand Cleveland having a hope for the future, so he came back and made sure that will never happen. Sure, the league gifted him a title, because if Draymond didn't get suspended (which never should have happened), Lebron would have torn the franchise apart for absolutely nothing.

Posturing? What I said was fact. In the Cavaliers nearly 50 year history of being in the NBA they have made the finals 4 times...all with LeBron James. If you want to act like him leaving for green pastures is such a disservice to the franchise that has experienced all of their success because of him then go for it, but as an optimist I'd rather have 4 years of being one of the best teams (and one year of winning) then the years they had before and after LeBron was under contract the first time around.

He walked away once and left them for dead. They somehow pull themselves out of it and he fleeces the team of all the talent to cherry pick one title and once again leave them for dead with no hope for the future. I would have rather had the talent they built around Kyrie and let them compete for the next ten years as opposed to watching the guy who left them for dead to walk back in and make sure they couldn't recover the second time. Gilbert spent hundreds of millions, the city gave their love and Lebron won't even let them get an asset for the future on his way out the door? Wiggins and Kyrie would have been fun to watch for at least another decade.

Now at the end of this year, they will have one title, a salary cap that would make most cringe and absolutely nothing to look forward to for the forseeable future. I would rather have years of a winning culture than a four year window where the world knows the league gifted you the only title they won. Instead of Wiggins, Thompson, Kyrie and Waiters, they will now have whoever replaces Kyrie, JR Smith, Thompson and well that's it. If he cared about the city of Cleveland at all, he would waive the NTC and let them get something for him to build with moving forward since he gave away their future for his selfish cherry picking.

[A BETTER DJ]

Payton, Fournier, filler, next year's unprotected 1st for Kyrie

[Scalabrine]

That is the only relevant part of your quote, the rest is just justification and posturing. He left them for dead the first time. Then they were miraculously able to rebuild and have a good young roster moving forward. He obviously couldn't stand Cleveland having a hope for the future, so he came back and made sure that will never happen. Sure, the league gifted him a title, because if Draymond didn't get suspended (which never should have happened), Lebron would have torn the franchise apart for absolutely nothing.

Posturing? What I said was fact. In the Cavaliers nearly 50 year history of being in the NBA they have made the finals 4 times...all with LeBron James. If you want to act like him leaving for green pastures is such a disservice to the franchise that has experienced all of their success because of him then go for it, but as an optimist I'd rather have 4 years of being one of the best teams (and one year of winning) then the years they had before and after LeBron was under contract the first time around.

He walked away once and left them for dead. They somehow pull themselves out of it and he fleeces the team of all the talent to cherry pick one title and once again leave them for dead with no hope for the future. I would have rather had the talent they built around Kyrie and let them compete for the next ten years as opposed to watching the guy who left them for dead to walk back in and make sure they couldn't recover the second time. Gilbert spent hundreds of millions, the city gave their love and Lebron won't even let them get an asset for the future on his way out the door? Wiggins and Kyrie would have been fun to watch for at least another decade.

Now at the end of this year, they will have one title, a salary cap that would make most cringe and absolutely nothing to look forward to for the forseeable future. I would rather have years of a winning culture than a four year window where the world knows the league gifted you the only title they won. Instead of Wiggins, Thompson, Kyrie and Waiters, they will now have whoever replaces Kyrie, JR Smith, Thompson and well that's it. If he cared about the city of Cleveland at all, he would waive the NTC and let them get something for him to build with moving forward since he gave away their future for his selfish cherry picking.

Talk about justification and posturing!

Next year IF James does in-fact bolt, they will have about 10 million dollars in capspace with the only deals guaranteed to go longer then that one year are JR Smith and Tristan Thompson who both expire the following year.

Asking for a team that can sustain success over a decade plus is so unrealistic. The only teams to do that are really the Spurs and the Hawks and the Cavs would be far more likely to be the Hawks then the Spurs...

[USER0023942]

That is the only relevant part of your quote, the rest is just justification and posturing. He left them for dead the first time. Then they were miraculously able to rebuild and have a good young roster moving forward. He obviously couldn't stand Cleveland having a hope for the future, so he came back and made sure that will never happen. Sure, the league gifted him a title, because if Draymond didn't get suspended (which never should have happened), Lebron would have torn the franchise apart for absolutely nothing.

Posturing? What I said was fact. In the Cavaliers nearly 50 year history of being in the NBA they have made the finals 4 times...all with LeBron James. If you want to act like him leaving for green pastures is such a disservice to the franchise that has experienced all of their success because of him then go for it, but as an optimist I'd rather have 4 years of being one of the best teams (and one year of winning) then the years they had before and after LeBron was under contract the first time around.

He walked away once and left them for dead. They somehow pull themselves out of it and he fleeces the team of all the talent to cherry pick one title and once again leave them for dead with no hope for the future. I would have rather had the talent they built around Kyrie and let them compete for the next ten years as opposed to watching the guy who left them for dead to walk back in and make sure they couldn't recover the second time. Gilbert spent hundreds of millions, the city gave their love and Lebron won't even let them get an asset for the future on his way out the door? Wiggins and Kyrie would have been fun to watch for at least another decade.

Now at the end of this year, they will have one title, a salary cap that would make most cringe and absolutely nothing to look forward to for the forseeable future. I would rather have years of a winning culture than a four year window where the world knows the league gifted you the only title they won. Instead of Wiggins, Thompson, Kyrie and Waiters, they will now have whoever replaces Kyrie, JR Smith, Thompson and well that's it. If he cared about the city of Cleveland at all, he would waive the NTC and let them get something for him to build with moving forward since he gave away their future for his selfish cherry picking.

Wow, that's some nice entitlement you got there. When LeBron is gone so is Cleveland. You won a championship because a once-in-a-lifetime talent happened to be born within your state lines. Winning "one measly" championship should make you happy and thankful, not bitter. But maybe that eternal bitterness is what makes Cleveland, Cleveland. Some teams have never had an MVP. Some have never won a championship. Some cities don't even have their teams anymore because they were stolen out from under them.

But keep complaining about your one measly championship, while lamenting the MVP that won it for you, I'm sure it will earn you a lot of sympathy.

[basketballRob]

As a 76ers fan, I could see, and I guess accept, a Fultz-Okafor-Future 1st for Kyrie Irving, but I wouldn't be super excited because of Fultz's unknown potential. That said, I think the most likely team to trade for Irving is the Knicks. I predict the Knicks receive: Irving, JR Smith. Cavs receive: Carmelo Anthony, Frank Ntilikina, Mindaugas Kuzminskas (and his $3 mil non-guaranteed 1-year contract) and the 2018 1st, unprotected.

bulls have to be all over this. LeBron and d.wade with love. only thing kris dunn is untouchable. chi has the first round picks to make it worth while. they can have the sacremento pick as well. kyrie can put up 30 ppg on chi if that's what hes asking for. he would have lavine and markkanen to play with. lopez alsoand tons of cap space next year to get in the playoffs hunt. I don't mind cleaning house to bring kyrie in chi where he belongs. butler can opt out in two years. the team would be so good by then.

I agree now way Dunn is included, he's an awesome cheerleader for the starters.

[Grumpy Heat Fan]

Goran Dragic's stats are exactly the same as Kyrie's.

Dragic + Winslow or some other combination of talent. The Heat are loaded with young guys with promise.

[deeps6x]

He is making this request now because he needs to get onto a different team in the second last season of his contract, instead of the last, in order to get a super max 5 year deal from someone other than the Cavs. I don't blame him for wanting to leave this season just for the extra $$$ reasons alone.

Plus, who wants to play with LBJ anyway? If you win, he gets the credit, if you lose, you take the blame.

[Bobalob]

Goran Dragic's stats are exactly the same as Kyrie's.

Dragic + Winslow or some other combination of talent. The Heat are loaded with young guys with promise.

So logically that means they are equals as players

This site is gonn make me pull out my damn hair.

And btw, you're insanely wrong. Goran Dragic avergaed 20 on a team that missed the playoffs, Kyrie averaged 25 at the highest level. They are not peers. In any regard.

[tidho]

Goran Dragic's stats are exactly the same as Kyrie's.

Dragic + Winslow or some other combination of talent. The Heat are loaded with young guys with promise.

Seems unlikely Gilbert sends Irving to Miami.

A little troubling that Winslow regressed in year 2, not really seeing the loads of young talent there.

[Grumpy Heat Fan]

Goran Dragic's stats are exactly the same as Kyrie's.

Dragic + Winslow or some other combination of talent. The Heat are loaded with young guys with promise.

So logically that means they are equals as players

This site is gonn make me pull out my damn hair.

And btw, you're insanely wrong. Goran Dragic avergaed 20 on a team that missed the playoffs, Kyrie averaged 25 at the highest level. They are not peers. In any regard.

I'd say Dragic would be even better than Kyrie playing next to Lebron, simply because Dragic scores within the offense and is a pass first PG.

[Grumpy Heat Fan]

Goran Dragic's stats are exactly the same as Kyrie's.

Dragic + Winslow or some other combination of talent. The Heat are loaded with young guys with promise.

Seems unlikely Gilbert sends Irving to Miami.

A little troubling that Winslow regressed in year 2, not really seeing the loads of young talent there.

Gilbert's animosity towards Miami or Pat Riley is overblown. He was primarily upset at Lebron for leaving. Not Miami.

[Bobalob]

Goran Dragic's stats are exactly the same as Kyrie's.

Dragic + Winslow or some other combination of talent. The Heat are loaded with young guys with promise.

So logically that means they are equals as players

This site is gonn make me pull out my damn hair.

And btw, you're insanely wrong. Goran Dragic avergaed 20 on a team that missed the playoffs, Kyrie averaged 25 at the highest level. They are not peers. In any regard.

I'd say Dragic would be even better than Kyrie playing next to Lebron, simply because Dragic scores within the offense and is a pass first PG.

Ok Before I cut your mic off, for one Dragic is 31.

2nd, he would NEVER, EVER average 30 in a Finals, let alone go for 40 multiple times, nor would he be able to do anything with Klay Thompson assigned to him on defense

3rd, lol @ pass first PG. LEBRON is the pass first PG. He don't need one.

Now your mic is off.

[YoungTrece]

Pacers will give u Oladipo and Sabonis for him

Sent from my SM-G955U using RealGM mobile app

[Grumpy Heat Fan]

So logically that means they are equals as players

This site is gonn make me pull out my damn hair.

And btw, you're insanely wrong. Goran Dragic avergaed 20 on a team that missed the playoffs, Kyrie averaged 25 at the highest level. They are not peers. In any regard.

I'd say Dragic would be even better than Kyrie playing next to Lebron, simply because Dragic scores within the offense and is a pass first PG.

Ok Before I cut your mic off, for one Dragic is 31.

2nd, he would NEVER, EVER average 30 in a Finals, let alone go for 40 multiple times, nor would he be able to do anything with Klay Thompson assigned to him on defense

3rd, lol @ pass first PG. LEBRON is the pass first PG. He don't need one.

Now your mic is off.

Player Comparison: Goran Dragic (2016-17) vs. Kyrie Irving (2016-17)

https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.fcgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1_hint=Goran+Dragic&player_id1_select=Goran+Dragic&player_id1=dragigo01&y1=2017&player_id2_hint=Kyrie+Irving&player_id2_select=Kyrie+Irving&y2=2017&player_id2=irvinky01&idx=players

FG %
Dragic : 47%
Irving : 47%

3P%
Dragic : 40%
Irving : 40%

PPG
Dragic : 20.3
Irving : 25.2 (Both players shoot same FG percentages, Kyrie just took more shots)

RPG
Dragic : 3.8
Irving : 3.2

APG
Dragic : 5.8
Irving : 5.8

SPG
Dragic : 1.2
Irving : 1.2

BPG
Dragic : 0.2
Irving : 0.3

TO's
Dragic : 2.9
Irving : 2.5

[johnnyballgame]

As a 76ers fan, I could see, and I guess accept, a Fultz-Okafor-Future 1st for Kyrie Irving, but I wouldn't be super excited because of Fultz's unknown potential. That said, I think the most likely team to trade for Irving is the Knicks. I predict the Knicks receive: Irving, JR Smith. Cavs receive: Carmelo Anthony, Frank Ntilikina, Mindaugas Kuzminskas (and his $3 mil non-guaranteed 1-year contract) and the 2018 1st, unprotected.

Bad deal for NY. Terrible deal. Kyrie demanded a trade. Just off that his value isn't high. Melo+Lee+2 protected 1sts is the most I'm giving up.

His value isn't high?

He's 25, gotten better every year, could still be getting better, he's poised to lead the league in scoring on his new team, he's signed for multiple years - and by the way his contract is one of the VERY best in the league as he signed BEFORE the new CBA and salary cap jump. Honestly, his value should be sky high, like you must be!

[johnnyballgame]

He is making this request now because he needs to get onto a different team in the second last season of his contract, instead of the last, in order to get a super max 5 year deal from someone other than the Cavs. I don't blame him for wanting to leave this season just for the extra $$$ reasons alone.

Plus, who wants to play with LBJ anyway? If you win, he gets the credit, if you lose, you take the blame.

I'm thinking plenty of guys would want to play for the "horrible owner" Dan Gilbert. After all, people work for cash and NO ONE pays more than the Cavs terrible owner. Tristan ain't complaining, J.R ain't complaining, Shumpert ain't complaining, Lebron came back despite the owner's trash talking. Plenty of guys make a name for themselves playing with Lebron. The exposure is ridiculous compared to other teams... with all the extra guaranteed playoff games on the way to the finals every year.
James Jones had an unbelievable career and probably never gets this front office job unless he played with Lebron.

Your comment is just stupid.

[E-Balla]

As a 76ers fan, I could see, and I guess accept, a Fultz-Okafor-Future 1st for Kyrie Irving, but I wouldn't be super excited because of Fultz's unknown potential. That said, I think the most likely team to trade for Irving is the Knicks. I predict the Knicks receive: Irving, JR Smith. Cavs receive: Carmelo Anthony, Frank Ntilikina, Mindaugas Kuzminskas (and his $3 mil non-guaranteed 1-year contract) and the 2018 1st, unprotected.

Bad deal for NY. Terrible deal. Kyrie demanded a trade. Just off that his value isn't high. Melo+Lee+2 protected 1sts is the most I'm giving up.

His value isn't high?

He's 25, gotten better every year, could still be getting better, he's poised to lead the league in scoring on his new team, he's signed for multiple years - and by the way his contract is one of the VERY best in the league as he signed BEFORE the new CBA and salary cap jump. Honestly, his value should be sky high, like you must be!

He asked out. That's a value killer.