Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Trade and Roster Rumors: Team Preparing for Another LeBron James Exit
The Cleveland Cavaliers are clearly not in a rush to pull the trigger on a trade involving All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving. They are going to wait until the right deal comes along because they understand that Irving may not be their only core player who's considering playing elsewhere in the future.
Rumors about LeBron James' future in Cleveland begun circulating shortly after their National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors and many pundits believe that he may leave the Cavaliers for a second time to join the Los Angeles Lakers next offseason. James is their franchise cornerstone, and once he's gone, the Cavaliers will have to rebuild the team from the ground up.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cavaliers are stuck at the crossroads right now because James doesn't seem to be willing to commit to the team long-term, and this has an effect on their efforts to move Irving.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"Of course, Cavaliers officials prefer to re-sign James to a long-term deal and chase titles together into his twilight, but the Cavs are treating his unwillingness to commit as a call to protect themselves long term in the Irving trade, league sources said," Wojnarowski wrote in his report.
"Owner Dan Gilbert and general manager Koby Altman want James to commit before building around him, and James largely wants to see the Cavaliers execute a plan before committing to them," he added.
Well, the Cavaliers clearly don't want to put themselves in a bind to appease James if he refuses to commit. The team already has the highest payroll in the entire league.
On the other hand, James doesn't seem to think that the Cavaliers are doing enough to build a competitive team around him this offseason. They failed to acquire either Jimmy Butler or Paul George earlier this summer, and with Irving asking for a trade, James just doesn't think the franchise is in good shape.
The Cavaliers are preparing for the worst. That's why they have been asking for long-term assets in return for Irving.
