Kyrie Irving wants to be traded from the Cavaliers. He's made that known and it's becoming more necessary as the situation in Cleveland continues to deteriorate. There is interest in Irving across the league, but his short-term contract -- which runs through the summer of 2020 with a player option for the final year -- has made trading for him difficult. Cleveland wants proper return for their star player, but the rest of the NBA wants a commitment first.
According to Cleveland.com, one team that has shown a lot of interest in Irving is the Suns. Phoenix is a young team with plenty of assets that could appeal to the Cavs, but it's obviously not going to part with those without a long-term commitment from Irving -- something he's not willing to give any team at this point in time.
I heard Phoenix would be very interested in dealing for Irving. But the Suns would want to know if Irving will sign an extension to stay in Phoenix. ... I'm told Irving is not about to commit to any team at this point. He has two seasons left on his contract and wants to keep his options open.
This is going to be the situation for Irving trades all the way up to the day he's traded. He's smart to not commit anywhere long term when he has the opportunity to explore free agency and control his destination. However, this is also going to make getting out of Cleveland very difficult for him.
One side will have to break at some point. If Irving wants to leave bad enough he can commit to a short-term extension somewhere, or the Cavs can just accept their losses and take a return on Irving they feel isn't equal. There's also the problem of any player that's been signed this offseason can't be traded until December, which limits Cleveland's options and makes a trade even more difficult. Whoever wants a trade the most will likely be what breaks this stalemate.
