The NBA world was rocked on Friday afternoon when it was reported that point guard Kyrie Irving asked for a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Irving is unhappy with his situation in Cleveland and no longer wants to play alongside LeBron James. In a private meeting with Cavaliers brass, Irving revealed four destinations as his favorites to be traded to: San Antonio, New York, Miami and Minnesota.
But there was one team left off the list that had Irving’s interest. That team? The Chicago Bulls.
NBA reporter David Aldridge revealed that Irving made a trade request last month in hopes of landing in Chicago and playing alongside Jimmy Butler.
Another league source said that Irving made his initial trade request before last month’s Draft, in hopes of being traded to Chicago and playing with All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler. Just before Griffin and the team decided to part ways, Griffin had been working on a three-team deal that would have brought Butler to the Cavs.
Chicago went on to trade Butler to Minnesota for Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine and the No. 7 overall pick. Irving wasn’t moved and any hope of the duo playing together in Chicago vanished.
It could be a big missed opportunity for Chicago’s front office but we won’t know the full details on what happened. As Aldridge reported, the Cavaliers were trying to lure Butler to Cleveland.
A report from Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times stated that Cavaliers players told Butler to stay away from the chaos in Cleveland. That looks more true than ever now.
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