NBA Rumors: Kyrie Irving May Be Leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers, Will LeBron James Be Next?
Recent rumors have pointed to different NBA teams as potential landing spots for James when he becomes a free agent next year
As if this offseason has not been bad enough for the Cleveland Cavaliers and their fans, now All-Star guard Kyrie Irving is reportedly looking for a trade, a development unlikely to make LeBron James any happier.
Irving reportedly asked the Cavaliers to trade him during a meeting recently.
Part of the reason for why Irving is seeking a trade apparently is so he can become the number one option on offense, something he cannot be when playing alongside LeBron James, according to a recent report from ESPN.
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Stars asking to be traded is nothing new in the NBA, but this one is a little different since the Cavaliers are heavy favorites to win the Eastern Conference again and make it to their fourth straight NBA Finals.
As NBA fans might imagine, this is not exactly sitting well with James.
James was reportedly "blindsided and disappointed" by Irving's request, and this is where things can go really bad for the Cavaliers.
It is no secret that James has been underwhelmed by the Cavaliers' offseason thus far, and things can get worse if the team is unable to receive equal value for Irving should they decide to meet the latter's request.
Unless the Cavaliers are able to get back a great haul of players for Irving, there is a good chance that the team will be worse during the 2017-18 campaign than they were last season.
Furthermore, with James' contract set to expire at the end of the upcoming season, there is no guarantee he will re-up with a lesser version of the Cavaliers.
This leaves the Cavaliers in a truly unfortunate spot as they stare at the very real possibility that they may lose Irving this year and then James next offseason, a series of events that can prove devastating to the team.
Rumors have already been hinting that some Western Conference teams may attempt to sign James next summer, and it is easy to imagine those squads being encouraged to go after him further in the wake of this situation with Irving being made public.
Kyrie Irving may soon become an ex-member of the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James may have another reason to think about leaving the team as well.
