The never ending saga surrounding Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers continues.
According to a report from ESPN’s Pablo Torre (via Clevis Murray of Def Pen Hoops), Irving “very badly” wants to play for the New York Knicks.
This is yet another report regarding Irving’s desire to find a way out of Cleveland.
This can also be a strong indication that Irving has no interest in heading to the Phoenix Suns, whom he has been linked to and who has assets that appeal to the Cavs such as rookie Josh Jackson.
Irving wants out of Cleveland for a number of reasons and has not been in communication with the team despite the flurry of reports in recent days.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that Irving wants to be traded in part because he “wants to play in a situation where he can be more of a focal point” and reports indicate he no longer wants to be LeBron James’ “sidekick”.
Irving’s desire to play for the Knicks will undoubtedly motivate New York to increase their efforts to make a trade for the point guard but with limited attractive assets to offer, it’s unclear how the Knicks may be able to pull off a trade.
One scenario could be including the Phoenix Suns as a 3rd team to help facilitate a potential trade, but Phoenix would need to be motivated to part with a players such as Eric Bledsoe to get involved.
Irving to the Knicks to play alongside Kristaps Porzingis is certainly appealing and gives the Knicks 2 franchise cornerstones to build around moving forward.