Tis the season of trade rumors. With the NBA offseason officially set to kickoff at the start of July, there are plenty of players that are facing uncertainty with their futures. Several big named players are approaching free agency in a year and could be dealt now instead of later. Kevin Love was the first major name to circulate the rumor pool and now Kyrie Irving is following into the mix as well.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are confirming several calls regarding the status of the young point guard. Sam Amick of FOX Sports is reporting that with contract talks starting and stalling with Irving, the Cavaliers have been fielding numerous calls about the point guard. Irving's status in Cleveland is unclear. The point guard wants to win and the Cavaliers simply are not. The team is trying to decide whether or not to offer him a max contract while Irving continues to decide if he would even accept a deal if one was given.
One team that could be in the mix for the point guard is the Houston Rockets. According to Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders, the Rockets are looking to add that third player to their Big 3 of James Harden and Dwight Howard. Having a scoring point guard could be just what they need. Ingram writes that while the Rockets are exploring the trade market of Kevin Love, Irving could be a top priority. The Cavaliers will ask for a lot in return, but the Rockets believe they might have the assets to win the team over.
Houston has been shopping the package of Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin for a year now given their inflated contracts. The Cavaliers were not interested a year ago, but might be now that it looks like Irving wants nothing to do with their max contract. These two players will be shopped in any potential deal the Rockets seek. Houston wants their contracts off the books and could give both players up for Carmelo Anthony, Love or even Rajon Rondo. They might even be willing to add Chandler Parsons into the mix if it means Lin and Asik are gone.
The Rockets could use stability at the point guard position and Irving would be just that. If the Cavaliers continue to get the sense that Irving will not be signing that max contract offer, leaving millions on the table to head to a more stable franchise, they will try and trade him now instead of later. Given the Rockets interest in Rondo, the fit makes sense, but will Cleveland accept Lin and Asik in return?