Word of Kyrie Irving’s trade request rocked the NBA world on Friday afternoon, and the situation keeps getting weirder and more intriguing. On one hand, the mere availability of a young, All-Star point guard would be interesting enough, but when coupled with the impact on LeBron James and the NBA arms race in general, the fireworks are flying in a big way.
There are plenty of fascinating potential destinations for Irving in a trade, and some of them are even included on the superstar’s list of reported preferences. However, David Aldridge of NBA.com brings word of a situation that could have been quite riveting if not for the league’s transaction wheel spinning too quickly.
In short, Irving reportedly wanted to end up alongside Jimmy Butler in Chicago.
Another league source said that Irving made his initial trade request before last month’s Draft, in hopes of being traded to Chicago and playing with All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler. Just before Griffin and the team decided to part ways, Griffin had been working on a three-team deal that would have brought Butler to the Cavs.
But Chicago traded Butler to Minnesota on Draft night for a package of guards Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine, and the 7th pick overall in the first round.
As noted by Aldridge, Butler was dealt to the Timberwolves, and, hilariously, he was notified of the deal while playing spades with Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony. It is unclear as to whether the Bulls could have actually acquired Irving without giving up Butler in return (defeating the purpose), but it is hard to ignore the fact that Irving’s trade request has been out in the world long enough to date back prior to the 2017 NBA Draft.
There will be plenty of buzz surrounding Irving’s next destination, and it has to be noted that the Cavaliers, reportedly led by new general manager Koby Altman, aren’t forced to move their young star guard without acquiring close to full value in return. The lack of leverage on Irving’s part simply adds to the “grab your popcorn” nature of the rumor mill, though, and this trade possibility was alive well before the public gained knowledge of it this week.
