Cavaliers May Not Offer Kyrie Irving Max Contract Extension

Yesterday it was reported that the Cavs have been receiving phone calls from teams interested in dealing for Kyrie Irving, and new talk out of Cleveland is doing nothing to silence trade rumors. According to Bob Finnan of The Morning JournalCleveland may opt against offering Irving a max contract extension this season. If no deal is reached, he’ll hit restricted free agency next summer.

Scuttlebutt around the league about the reason they wouldn’t make the offer is two-fold. First, the Cavs are not convinced he’s truly a max player. In my opinion, I don’t think he is. I think he’s a fabulous talent who falls just short of being a max player. His teams have yet to sniff the playoffs.Secondly, the rumors about his camp plotting his exit from Cleveland have to stop. He needs to be totally committed to the Cavs moving forward before they back up the Brinks truck to his house.

 

We’ll find out soon whether the rumors are accurate. The Cavs have a window from July 1 to Oct. 31 to extend his contract. If he informs the Cavs he won’t sign an extension, then it might be time to explore trading him. If that happens, this thing could really get ugly. Let’s hope that’s not the case.