Griffin: Celtics are on Kyrie Irving's trade 'list'

We’ve known for a while that Kyrie Irving wants out of Cleveland, but the Celtics were not initially on the list of preferred trade destinations (Miami, Minnesota, New York, San Antonio) for the All-Star point guard when ESPN reported his trade request last month.

However, it appears the list of Irving’s ideal new homes could include Boston after all. The Celtics were referenced in several comments by former Cavs general manager David Griffin on ESPN’s The Jump program on Monday.

Griffin was speaking for the first time publicly Monday since he parted ways with the Cavs in late June after his contract expired, reportedly over a money dispute with owner Dan Gilbert. The architect of the 2016 NBA champions touched on a number of topics during his appearance on the half hour television program, but his comments about Irving’s future will undoubtedly raise the eyebrows of C’s fans.  

First, Griffin, while defending Irving’s trade request, brought up the fact that Irving’s “list” (i.e. preferred trade destinations) included some great coaching situations, naming Greg Popovich and Brad Stevens specifically. Griffin then referenced Boston in an answer to another question about Irving, by noting that the point guard would be surrounded by great players like Kawhi Leonard and Gordon Hayward if traded to some of the teams on his “list.”

Here’s a full transcript and video of those specific remarks:   

Amin Elhassan: Assuming there is one, what’s the best solution here between Kyrie and the Cavs?

David Griffin: I think Kyrie’s going to end up getting traded...This is a guy who handled the situation exactly like he was supposed to. He went to Dan Gilbert privately, told him that he thought he would be happier somewhere else. The absolute worst thing this guy could’ve done is pretend to be all in and sink the ship from within. Most guys don’t have the courage to do what he did. That’s not youth and ignorance. That’s a little more courage than people give him credit for. This is a guy whose list included really good coaching situations — Brad Stevens and Popovich. This is a guy who recruited LeBron, Hayward and a host of other free agents and all of a sudden LeBron came back, so he was sold a totally different situation than he’s actually in, and he’s worked very well in, he won a championship in and I see this as him looking for a fit for himself to take the next step of his career.  

Elhassan: When I asked about what’s next for you, you talked about growth and fulfillment -- is this what Kyrie is searching for himself...is he searching for what is his peak?   

Griffin: I think this is a guy who wants to know how good he can be. LeBron casts a very large shadow over an organization and most of it is really, really positive. You know you’re expected to win a championship, by way of example, but what that doesn’t always allow for is for a player like Kyrie to test his boundaries a little bit and see how good he can really be. And can I actually be the frontman of a team like that? Again, the teams on his list -- Gordon Hayward in Boston and Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio -- he would be accompanied by other great players so it’s not like he’s asking to lead a ragtag bunch. He just wanted to put himself in a position, I think, where he could find out exactly what he has as a 25-year-old entering his prime.


So what exactly does Griffin’s insinuation mean for the Celtics, assuming it’s accurate? Here are three things to keep in mind:

1. Irving’s interest in the Celtics doesn’t change anything for the Cavs: Just like all the other teams on Irving’s preferred list of destinations (Miami, Minnesota, New York, San Antonio) Boston’s presence shouldn’t change anything from a Cleveland standpoint. The Cavs will be looking for the best deal out there for their All-Star guard, and on top of that, they may prefer not to send their second best player to a top Eastern Conference rival. They could easily go the Paul George route and try to ship Irving out of the conference.   

2. Will the Celtics be willing to give up more for Irving if they are a preferred landing spot? I took an in-depth look at what the potential cost could be for the Celtics in a Irving trade a couple weeks ago, and one of the things I wondered about from Boston’s perspective is whether Irving would even be a happy camper in green. Griffin’s comments make suggest that Irving would love to play alongside Hayward on a team coached by Stevens, making that factor one less variable the Celtics’ brass would have to worry about in a hypothetical deal. Knowing that Irving is under contract for just two more seasons, you can bet the Celtics would feel a bit more confident about their ability to re-sign him after that deal expires. That fact alone could incline the Celtics to give up a little bit more in a hypothetical Irving package (since the long-term risk that he walks in 2019 would be reduced).

3. Why does this revelation come out now? The Irving trade rumors have been quiet for a little while now, but one thing you can take away from Griffin’s appearance is that he knew what he was doing here by referencing the Celtics twice. The ex-Cavs general manager is a very smart man and reportedly had a good relationship with Irving before he parted ways with Cleveland. Could he have been sending a message on behalf of Irving here? Does he just know that much more about Irving’s demands than reporters like Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com who initially reported the request? It’s unclear to this point but the remarks add an extra layer of intrigue to what has been an unpredictable summer in the NBA.     

For more on the possibility of the Celtics making a run at Irving, you can check out my piece on that topic from July.