The Cleveland Cavaliers might have no other option at their disposal right now than to grant Kyrie Irving his trade request.
According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, a trade is “almost inevitable” at this time.
“The Cavaliers are projecting confidence they can snare a king’s ransom for Kyrie Irving, and more than that, they are acting — for now — as if a trade is almost inevitable, and that there is little chance of salvaging their relationship with him, according to several sources familiar with the situation.”
That the Cavs are “projecting confidence” isn’t surprising, especially now that their leverage is shrinking by the day. Whoever leaked his trade request started a chain reaction that has rippled throughout the league, but it’s also created a sense of urgency for the team to get a deal done or risk a caustic rift that could doom the team in 2017-18.
LeBron James has already made his case that he’s going absolutely nowhere, regardless of what happens. He also seemed to respond to Irving’s trade request in a manner in which he appears to feel betrayed by his running mate the past few seasons.
It’s really too bad Irving couldn’t just accept the burden of playing with one of the best players in NBA history. James makes everyone around him better, including Irving. He’s been doing it since he entered the league and will continue to do it until he chooses to retire.
Meanwhile, Irving has made it clear he has a list of teams he’d like to join, though it remains to be seen if the Cavaliers will make that happen for him.