Despite the four teams first rumored to be his preferred destinations, estranged All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving would prefer to play for the L.A. Clippers, veteran reporter Peter Vecsey said on the HoopsHype podcast.
While some of the teams in Irving's list like the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat are a tough fit due to the lack of necessary assets, the Clippers reportedly had made an effort to acquire the 25-year-old star.
“He loves L.A. and he’s been working out there a lot this summer,” Vecsey said. “Do they have the assets they get him? I don’t see how. But they also have Jerry West and he’s been able to figure out before … the Lakers didn’t have the assets to get Shaq and he wheeled and dealed and figured out and they got him … he was able to get Kobe for Divac in the draft.”
While the actual working parts to a trade aren't necessarily there after getting loose parts from the Chris Paul trade in late June, the interest and the fit are there, as the Clippers have a real need of a perennial scorer to play alongside Blake Griffin and one that can be relied on from the perimeter.
Serbian international Milos Teodosic and forward Danilo Gallinari cannot be traded until Dec. 15, making this possibility a much more realistic one later into the season.
L.A. has young pieces to offer the Cavaliers, but none of which they're dying to get, turning a potential negotiation to a matter of leverage and a ticking clock more so than an equal exchange where each party gets what they want.
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