The Denver Nuggets probably won’t be able to complete a trade for Kyrie Irving, but they’re reportedly going to contact the Cleveland Cavaliers to try.
Well, the NBA sure is wild. Just when you think the late stages of free agency and the offseason have reached a point where not much is happening, news breaks that Kyrie Irving wants a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers because he doesn’t want to play with LeBron James anymore. Wow. It still seems crazy after thinking about it for a few hours. But naturally the Denver Nuggets aren’t hanging around. They could use a better point guard, so they might as well get on the phone to Cleveland.
According to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops, the Nuggets are one of the teams that will be contacting the Cavs, surely to express their interest and gauge the asking price for Irving. Denver won’t be making any major offers yet, if they even get to that point.
#Suns and #Nuggets are two teams that intend to contact #Cavs about Kyrie Irving, AmicoHoops has learned.
— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) July 21, 2017
Of course, Irving is going to command one heck of a package in a trade. He’s arguably the best isolation scorer in the league and he’s a proven offensive superstar, whether he’s burying shots off the dribble from distance or using his marvellous handles and acrobatics around the rim to spin the ball into the basket. At 25 years old he’s only just approaching his prime and is even on a good contract for two more years (with a $21.32 million player option for 2019-20). Career-highs in points (25.2), field goal percentage (47.3) and PER (23) last season help reiterate just how good he’s become.
His defense is at the opposite end of the scale and he’s had LeBron to help him the last couple of years; the Cavs aren’t nearly as competitive when Irving is on the floor without LeBron. Nevertheless, Irving is a special talent and would obviously help the Nuggets out a great deal at point guard. Jameer Nelson and Emmanuel Mudiay aren’t exactly in the same stratosphere.
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However, the fact that it will cost a lot to get Irving should remove the Nuggets from this trade bidding war. A bunch young talent and picks would be needed and Denver’s depth would likely be gutted somewhat to make a trade happen; Gary Harris and Jamal Murray (someone the Nuggets love) could both be included, not to mention other pieces such as a role player or a draft pick. Other teams around the NBA could beat that kind of package if they’re offering another star player in return or have more disposable assets at their fingertips.
It’s also important to note that Irving has told the Cavs which four teams he wants to be traded to: the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves, per ESPN’s Chris Haynes. There’s a reason the Nuggets aren’t mentioned there. Irving will prefer a team where the offense isn’t running through a center like Nikola Jokic; he wants the ball more, as if he didn’t have it enough already in Cleveland.
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We’ll have to wait and see how this situation plays out. It’s quite the story and the fall of the Cavaliers has rapidly accelerated. They could go from being champions in 2016 to losing their best two players and all aspirations to contend by 2018. LeBron to L.A. in 2018 feels like a genuine possibility. Unfortunately for the Nuggets, though, Kyrie Irving to Denver doesn’t. (Then again what do I know. The NBA world has gone mad this summer. It’s worth a try!)