Nugg Love roundtable: Two sides to pursuing Kyrie Irving

Mathew’s take.

Before I go into playing devil’s advocate, I want to make a couple of things clear. I have no ill will towards the superstar which is Kyrie Irving. I have always liked him since he was drafted as a matter of fact. Also, Tom brings up great points in the benefits he brings to the table and I get it. I understand why the possibility of a Jokic-Irving-Millsap big three has many fans salivating.

If there were a possibility of trading for Irving without giving up Harris or Murray, then I would be all over it. But, we all know that will not be the case if the two sides do engage in discussions. The Nuggets need to look at a lot of important aspects before they pull the trigger.

More from Nugg Love

• Was trading Bones Hyland a mistake for the Denver Nuggets?
• Did Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets break Anthony Davis?
• Denver Nuggets stars face serious disrespect in recent NBA rankings poll
• What will it take for Denver Nuggets star to become ‘inevitable?’
• Denver Nuggets NBA Training Camp report, other preseason dates to know

If this were Chris Paul, I would be all over it. However, even with how unselfish Nikola Jokic is, Kyrie Irving has a shoot first mentality as a point guard and could take key opportunities away from other valuable players.

Second of all, it is clear he will not be cheap. The Cavaliers have already came out and said they will demand a “king’s ransom,” for his services and the price just may be too much for Denver. Even if he does make us a contender for two years, there is still a risk that he and Millsap are out of the Mile High when there contracts are up leaving only Jokic. Without a key piece in Jamal Murray or Gary Harris, suddenly the Nuggets are set back a couple of notches which is what they have been desperately trying to avoid in their terrific rebuild process.

Also, just like Tom said, if Cleveland does demand both Harris and Murray, I will take it a step further. The Nuggets should not just say no, they should say hell no!

Next: Miller: Kyrie interested in Denver

Irving is probably worth it from a short term perspective, but if he is gone in three years regardless of the success we may achieve with him, then Denver should consider going forward with their current core.