After it became public that the marriage between Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers has entered its dark days, there weren’t many teams that had the necessity for Irving or the assets to pull off a deal. At this point, it seems a trade is imminent but there are still only a handful of teams worth truly monitoring.
Obviously, the four teams Irving listed as his preferred destinations should still be in the mix, including the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their current stars Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns are already pushing for a trade and the Cavs could choose to go that route.
Along with the Wolves, the Pheonix Suns are also a marquee team to keep an eye on as they look to add more talent in pursuit of Western Conference relevancy. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, these two teams are leading the charge in the Irving trade discussions:
…The Heat at this point does not view a deal as very likely. Miami’s best chance would be if suitors with more appealing assets can’t strike a deal and the Cavaliers circle back to Miami.
Phoenix and Minnesota are among particularly strong candidates to pull off a trade for Irving, according to one league source.
As stated, another potential suitor has been the Miami Heat but their chances are looking slim because any potential deal the Cavs make will all come back to assets. With two years still remaining on his contract, Irving should command a hefty package in return, and Justise Winslow and another complimentary player won’t be nearly enough.
The Suns and Wolves are two teams who have numerous younger, explosive talents that the Cavs could be interested in. We’ve already heard rumblings of a Pheonix-Cleveland trade involving Eric Bledsoe and if the Wolves want any shot at landing Irving, they will likely have to part ways with young stud Andrew Wiggins.
Both Bledsoe and Wiggins have plenty of their best years ahead of them and they could be pieces the Cleveland front office strongly consider adding to help LeBron James and the Cavs stay the favorites in the Eastern Conference, even without Kyrie Irving.
