The Cleveland Cavaliers are shifting gears in a potential trade of Kyrie Irving. The team reportedly is no longer interested in veteran players that might help them push past the Golden State Warriors in a fourth straight NBA Finals appearance, but rather seem interested in young talent that can help them win in both the short- and long-term.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday that Irving’s potential trade out of Cleveland is heavily impacted by the potential that James could walk away again next summer, leaving Cleveland in a situation where it needs to create a post-James future for itself because the superstar refuses to commit to the franchise long-term.
The Cavaliers find themselves far more fixated on a young star, including New York’s Kristaps Porzingis, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Phoenix’s Josh Jackson and Denver’s Jamal Murray, league sources told ESPN.
The Golden State Warriors have impacted the way the NBA and its stars do business, and no one — not even a franchise that possesses the generation’s greatest player — wants to be left compromised long term for what’s a fleeting chance to beat Golden State in the short term.
In other words, Cleveland can’t take on a bunch of large contracts for the sake of winning now because — if James leaves — it craters the franchise in a way where young talent would be unwilling to join a wayward team. Woj pointed out the dichotomy of potential trades between the Cavs and two teams: San Antonio and Boston. While the Spurs make the most sense for a veteran deal that lessens the immediate blow of losing a player like Irving, Boston has the young assets long-term that Cleveland finds attractive given that they could officially be without a franchise player come next June.
Boston has expressed interest in Irving and could offer the best combination of short-term (Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder) and long-term (Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, picks) assets. The Celtics have made no formal offer, and it is against Boston’s front-office DNA to push out front with the most generous offer. Boston knows that Cleveland is mostly intrigued with Tatum, but the sides have not formally discussed that deal, league sources said.
It’s all hypothetical right now, but that Catch-22 is sort of the entire problem for the Cavaliers. If they had assurances James would stay beyond next season, they could retool the roster specifically to win now knowing LeBron could make a difference for years to come. But James is unwilling to commit to the franchise, which means it has to operate in a way that might convince James to go elsewhere.
Cavaliers fans can be reassured by names like Porzingis or Tatum or even maybe Giannis Antetokounmpo, but until a deal for Irving nets a young player of that caliber, it’s hard not to think Joseph Heller wold appreciate the situation the franchise finds itself in right now.
