Ron Harper Thinks Kyrie Irving Should Be Traded To The ‘Sorriest’ Team After His Request


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The last three weeks have been dominated by discussion of Kyrie Irving’s trade request from the Cavaliers. Irving reportedly wants to be the star of his own team and no longer play in the shadow of LeBron James, while also getting out of Cleveland before it all potentially crumbles should James leave next summer.

The move has surprised and confused many around the league, like John Wall and Damian Lillard, as there are few players in the NBA that wouldn’t want to have LeBron on their squad. However, Irving feels its his time to be the man and wants that opportunity right now. Irving reportedly gave Cleveland a list of teams he’d like to be traded to, but the Cavaliers are more focused on finding a team that will send them a trade package that matches Irving’s value than helping him get where he wants to go — and even that is proving difficult.

Former Cavalier and NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls Ron Harper is the latest to chime in on Irving’s trade request, and he didn’t hold back in his criticism of the move. Harper told Ohio.com that he blames youth and ignorance for Irving’s request and thinks the Cavaliers should take an old school approach and ship him off to a bad team.

“Youth. Ignorance,” Harper said of Irving. … “When I used to play on bad teams and you trained all off-season to play 82 games, you get to the first round and you lose. You’re guaranteed to play till June. The East is good, but you know that you’re the best basketball team,” Harper said. “I don’t really understand what’s behind it.

“Young. Youth. Kids … listen, the inmates are in charge. So when the inmates are in charge, nothing but bad things can happen, right?”

“It’s not a guarantee that the Cavaliers are going to trade him to a good team,” Harper said. “I asked a guy, ‘What happened to the old-school days?’ When a guy asked to get traded, you traded him to the sorriest team. That’s the way it worked.”

Harper went on to explain how he, like so many other that have been asked about Irving’s request, couldn’t understand why he would want off a team that went to the NBA Finals three straight seasons. Harper’s comments indicate that he thinks the young star should be careful of what he’s asking for, requesting a trade when he doesn’t have any say over where he will be dealt — like, say, Carmelo Anthony does with his no-trade clause.

Irving’s list of desired landing spots have been a mix of contenders, like the Spurs and Timberwolves, and also the Knicks, where he’d be close to home. The Suns, a team not on Irving’s reported list, but one that has ammunition to get him, could end up being the scenario Harper explained. Phoenix isn’t the worst team in the league, but they’re neither a contender nor a team close to his New Jersey home.

As for the worst teams in the league, if the Cavs wanted to go the route Harper hinted at, the Hawks and Kings project to be the worst two squads in the league, per ESPN’s projections. The Hawks are a more likely trade partner for Irving than the Kings after Sacramento went after De’Aaron Fox in the draft, but if either could figure out an intriguing package, they could make Harper’s suggestion into prophecy.

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