The Cleveland Cavaliers have been fielding offers this week for Kyrie Irving following his surprising trade demand, and there has been plenty of speculation about which teams are the favorites to land him.
Irving told the Cavs that he would prefer to be traded to the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks or San Antonio Spurs, but with three years and $60 million remaining on his contract (he can opt out after the 2018-19 season), Cleveland isn't necessarily in a rush to trade him.
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As such, they have set an asking price of at least a proven veteran and a promising young player and won't trade him unless those demands are met, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
One league source, who has been involved in some of the due diligence on a trade for Irving, said the Cavs had heard from basically every team in the league in some capacity, with some teams being more aggressive in their pursuit of an Irving deal than others. It’s believed the Cavs are seeking at least one proven veteran who can play and contribute right away as well as a younger rising talent player still on a rookie scale deal. Another stated goal is to dump off some salary and reduce the luxury tax bill.
There has been considerable talk that the Phoenix Suns have been aggressive in their pursuit of an Irving deal as have the Denver Nuggets. Both teams offer an interesting set of options for the Cavs including veterans that could plug immediate needs and a cupboard full of rookie scale players that meet the upside need of the Cavs.
Phoenix's offer centers around point guard Eric Bledsoe, and they have plenty of talented young players on their roster - but are unwilling to part with Devin Booker. Denver's offer would likely include some combination of Emmanuel Mudiay, Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler.
Irving averaged 25.2 points and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field last season.
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