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Kyrie Irving wants the stage for himself.
Cleveland’s Australian-born point guard has asked the Cavaliers to trade him, two people familiar with the situation told the Associated Press on Friday.
Irving made the request last week to owner Dan Gilbert, said the people who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team is not commenting on the star’s demands.
Irving’s appeal was first reported by ESPN.
A four-time All-Star, 25-year-old Irving has spent six seasons with the Cavs, who selected him with the No.1 overall pick in 2011.
And now that he’s finally established himself playing alongside LeBron James, Irving wants out.
He’s under contract for two more seasons with Cleveland (he has a player option in 2020) but the Cavs could be inclined to move Irving now and begin another rebuild around James, who can opt out of his contract next summer and leave Ohio for the second time.
The bombshell about Irving adds to what has been a tumultuous offseason for the Cavs after their loss in five games to Golden State in the NBA Finals.
General manager David Griffin parted ways with the club and while other teams have been active in signing free agents the Cavs have been limited in their ability to revamp their roster because of salary-cap issues.
Also, the Cavs courted former NBA star Chauncey Billups but couldn’t get him to join their front office.
Irving’s request to be dealt perhaps sheds some light on the Cavs’ recent pursuit of former league MVP Derrick Rose. They have talked to Rose about a one-year contract in recent days, a source familiar with the negotiations told the AP on Thursday.
Rose was thought to be a potential backup but now it appears he could be needed to start if the Cavs and Irving part.
There is certain to be major interest in Irving, who averaged a career-high 25.2 points and 5.8 assists in 72 games last season.
Irving averaged 25.9 points in his third straight Finals, but he and James couldn’t do enough to match the Warriors.
A potential trade partner for the Cavs could be the New York Knicks, who have been trying to unload Carmelo Anthony.
However, the Knicks may not have enough assets to intrigue the Cavs and there is a sizeable imbalance in contracts.
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