San Antonio Handles Kawhi the Way Cleveland Should Have Handled Kyrie

Last summer Kyrie Irving approached the Cavaliers with demands to be traded. He provided a list of several teams he preferred to be traded to. He also reportedly threatened to hold out and have knee surgery for a pre-existing knee injury.

The Cavaliers panicked. Within a month, they traded Irving to the Boston Celtics for an injured Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and the prized Brooklyn pick, which turned out to be Colin Sexton the 8th pick in this year’s draft.

Initially, it was thought to be a great haul, but midway through the season, the Cavs overhauled the roster again, trading Thomas and Crowder and bringing in Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., George Hill, and Rodney Hood.

The problem is that the Cavs did not have to trade Irving. They could have forced his hand. He was under their control for 2 more seasons. They could’ve made him report to camp, tried to reason with him, and waited for the highest bidder.

Additionally, the Cleveland NBA team had the opportunity to deal him for a star that was healthy, helping immediately instead of an injured one-dimensional player with an ego that does not match his abilities.

The Spurs are in the same position. They are in the position of control. Kawhi has demanded a trade, but the Spurs don’t seem to be in a rush to trade him. Management has stated that they will not trade him to their conference rivals and will not accept peanuts on the dollar. When they do decide to trade him, it will be on their terms, not his.

Cleveland caved. They panicked.

Dan Gilbert is too involved in basketball decisions. It has cost him the greatest player in team history, one of the best GM’s in the NBA and continued success for the immediate future. The way that the Spurs are handling their situation with Kawhi is what the Cavs should have done.

As of now, they should be paying attention.

#Kawhi #Kyrie #Cavs #Spurs