Nuggets: How much should Denver trade for Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving?

The Denver Nuggets have interest in Kyrie Irving and should consider pursuing a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but how much should they be willing to offer?

Kyrie Irving wants a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers and he doesn’t want to play with LeBron James anymore. That sentence is one of the craziest we’ve seen in a summer’s worth of NBA free agency and trade madness. And the Denver Nuggets may be in on the action, too.

Irving gave the Cavs four teams that he’s interested in being traded to, naming the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs as his preferred destinations, per ESPN’s Chris Haynes.

That list may not include the Nuggets, but it’s been reported that they’ll contact the Cavs about a possible trade. They still have a lot to offer Irving — the elite supporting passing of Nikola Jokic, no overwhelming superstar presences on and off the court like LeBron, and a leading scoring role for an improving playoff contender — and ultimately he has no leverage in this situation. He doesn’t have a no-trade clause like Carmelo Anthony, so this comes down to the Cavs taking their time and simply accepting the best trade offer they can get. They aren’t taking a worse package just to send Irving to his top choice.

The big question for Nuggets fans mulling over this situation is how much the team should be willing to give up for Irving. As my co-expert Mathew Huff has explained, Denver need to be cautious of sacrificing too much (read about it here). Huff mentioned the Melo trade to the New York Knicks back in 2011 and how the Nuggets came off better in the long run with guys like Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari. There are plenty of other factors involved with the Knicks’ decline, of course — from terrible contracts to nightmares with Phil Jackson — but sometimes it’s best for a team to keep together a range of talent and assets, rather than giving up too much for a win-now superstar.

So, what should the Nuggets consider giving up for Irving?

I took to our Twitter account (follow along @Nugg_Love if you aren’t already!) to see where our readers and fans of the team stand on potential offers. One possible package would be Jamal Murray, a role player or two (including Kenneth Faried and Will Barton perhaps) and a future first-round pick; 67 percent said “yes” to that deal.

I’d agree. Keeping Murray would be ideal for Denver, but Irving is already proven as one of the best offensive talents and ball handlers in the NBA and you can’t get a star of his caliber without giving up something significant. The rest of that package looks great for the Nuggets.

However, if it took Murray, a similar package of filler and Gary Harris, 71 percent of voters opted “no.” It’s close, but I’d lean towards no in this scenario, too.

The decision of what to do with Murray and Harris is the biggest element of a potential trade. Losing both means the Nuggets would not only lose their 20-year-old star on the rise in Murray, who they can retain for seven years and have at a bargain price for three more years, but another young, developing two-way talent in Harris. If Irving leaves when his contract ends in two years, the Nuggets could end up feeling a ton of regret when Murray and Harris are flourishing in Cleveland and their core in Denver is depleted.

There are some factors that could help the Nuggets retain one of their high-value guards, though.

The biggest thing on Denver’s side is that superstar players (superior to Irving) simply haven’t received big returns this summer. The Chicago Bulls traded Jimmy Butler and a 2017 first-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for no more than Zach LaVine coming off an ACL injury, Kris Dunn coming off a terrible rookie season, and a 2017 lottery pick (Lauri Markkanen). Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers only traded Paul George for Victor Oladipo (on a horrible $21 million per year contract) and Domantas Sabonis.

Obviously, the Cavs are in a different situation with Irving and are under no pressure to make a trade, but the longer they wait the more his value declines and the trade history of this summer only bodes well for the Nuggets.

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We also know that the Cavs like Harris as he would have been sent to Cleveland in the reported three-team trade between the Cavs, Indiana Pacers and Nuggets (Kevin Love would have come to Denver). As for Murray, why wouldn’t they like a cheap, young, high-upside player who can be a key part of a rebuild if Kyrie is gone and LeBron is leaving for L.A. next summer?

The Nuggets could offer one of these players to start forming an enticing package. From there, Faried’s athleticism and rebounding has some value and so does Barton’s scoring punch, all of which can be sweetened with any draft picks necessary. That would be a fair amount for the Cavs, especially when considering how little Butler and George bought back.

The Nuggets’ potential success in trading for Kyrie Irving comes down to what other teams will offer. That said, we at least know that Denver will be aggressive after almost trading for Love this summer and landing Paul Millsap in free agency.

Next: Why Denver should pursue a trade for Kyrie Irving

The Cavs asking for Murray and Harris is probably too much (losing two key components of your core for only two guaranteed years of Irving could look ugly in the future), but sending one of them with complementary role players and a pick(s) could turn the Nuggets into a seriously formidable team with Irving at point guard. Click here to read all the reasons why.