A week ago today, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers requested a trade and did not want to play with Lebron James any longer. Irving’s four preferred landing spots were Miami, Minnesota, New York and San Antonio. However, it seems the frontrunner to land him are the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns have an abundance of good, talented young players. That pool includes four Kentucky guards: Brandon Knight, Devin Booker, Eric Bledsoe and Tyler Ulis. One name that has constantly swirled in the past week as Irving’s potential replacement is Bledsoe. It’s not a coincidence Bledsoe and James have the same agent and are also currently working out together in Las Vegas.
The former Kentucky guard is on the record saying he wants to “win now.” That’s a position Phoenix is definitely not in, at the moment, while Cleveland is the favorite to make the NBA Finals in the East.
Cleveland is rumored to be fielding offers/talks from teams like Phoenix, New York, Miami, Boston and others around the league. A potential deal would look like Bledsoe, Dragan Bender/Marquese Chriss and a draft pick for Irving. However, there’s no time table as to when or even if a deal will be done.