Many among Cavaliers nation might feel this offseason has blown up in smoke. Cleveland had a chance to get hands on its franchise hero a third time, but he chose the conference rival Philadelphia 76ers.
The league’s oldest player, James going to the Sixers has stung a lot of Cavs fans. Many felt Cleveland was just one piece away from representing the Eastern Conference in the Finals. Instead, there’s a new juggernaut in the way.
As the James to Cleveland momentum grew, so did rumors that the Cavs were looking to orchestrate the ultimate reunion tour by adding his former teammate and Cavaliers icon Kyrie Irving.
Were the Cavaliers Ever Serious About Bringing Back Kyrie Irving?
Because of the salary cap rules, the Cavs would have almost certainly had to wave goodbye to James Harden in a trade for Irving, who spent his first six seasons in Cleveland before being dealt to the Boston Celtics. According to NBA insider Brett Siegel, the Cavs did not have any conversations with the Dallas Mavericks involving a trade for Irving.
It is not a coincidence that rumors of (James) wanting to play with Kyrie Irving resurfaced as time went on, specifically linking the former Cleveland guard to his old team to possibly reunite with LeBron,” Siegel reported. “Even so, there were never any trade conversations between the Cavs and Mavs regarding a potential Harden-Irving swap, sources said.”
Siegel noted that the Cavs never intended to trade Harden anyway and that the rumors surrounding a potential Irving pursuit were ultimately what sparked the belief that Cleveland was prepared to make a push for the All-Star guard. There was also discussion among fans that James preferred not to play with Harden, another factor that led to the Irving-for-Harden speculation.
“Cleveland never once looked to move Harden this offseason … A lot of talk has been made about LeBron’s decision-making process and where the Cavaliers stood in all of this. Many around the NBA believe James was very open to the idea of returning to Cleveland at the start of free agency but that he did not want to play with Harden.”
But … There Were Reports That LeBron Wanted to Reunite With Kyrie
GettyAUBURN HILLS, MI – APRIL 24: Kyrie Irving #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates a fourth quarter basket with LeBron James #23 in game four of the NBA Eastern Conference quarterfinals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at the Palace of Auburn Hills on April 24, 2016 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Cleveland won the game 100-98 to win the series. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
According to ESPN NBA insider Vince Goodwill, James sought to get Irving back to Cleveland, but the Mavs weren’t interested in moving the 34-year-old former All-Star.
“League sources said James had been angling for former teammate Irving to join him in Cleveland, but the Dallas Mavericks have had no interest in engaging the Cavaliers in a trade, and Irving is believed to be comfortable where he is.”
Goodwill’s report followed what Kevin O’Conner of Yahoo revealed, saying James was, in part, prolonging his free agency to see if any team would trade for either Irving or Anthony Davis, the 10-time All-Star who was James’ teammate for 5 ½ seasons in Los Angeles.
Ultimately, whatever dreams James had of playing with Irving again were fantasy. The Mavs don’t intend to trade Irving at this time.
“There has been no trade talks in the last month regarding Kyrie Irving,” Siegel reported. “Teams reached out near the start of free agency to inquire about his availability, kind of when Masai Ujiri was hired and Mike Schmitz was hired to be the GM of the Mavericks.”
Meanwhile, the Cavs are left scrambling after James signed with the Sixers. Cleveland has yet to make roster moves this offseason. Although a new contract for Harden is on the horizon, there appears to be little in the way of an upgrade.
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