In a decision that will surprise no one other than apparently Peter Vecsey, the Cavaliers are set to meet with Kyrie Irving on July 1 and will present him with a five year, $90 million max contract offer, according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.
About Kyrie Irving ...
The Cavs will offer Irving the full 5-year maximum contract. There have been reports that they were having second thoughts -- that's simply not true. Reports about the Cavs even considering backing away from a maximum contract are simply wrong.
My sources tell me that the Cavs have had no doubts about offering Irving the 5-year deal, and will do so. Once July 1 arrives -- the first date that an extension can be offered -- the Cavs will set up a meeting with Irving. They will present their All-Star guard with a contract extension, a 5-year deal in the $90 million range (or whatever is the maximum number).
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The Cavs' goal is to have a new coach in place. Then have General Manager David Griffin, the coach and Irving discuss the future. Now, if Irving doesn't seem interested in an extension, that could lead to a trade.
This shouldn't come as news to anyone, and it's annoyance that we actually have to write about it. But given the ridiculous reports to the contrary, here we are. The Cavaliers would be incredibly silly to not offer their two-time 22-year-old All-Star point guard a max contract. No seriously, the guy should just be finishing up his senior year at Duke right now, and he's already started an NBA All-Star game, won an All-Star Game MVP, the Rookie of the Year award, and a Three-Point Shootout.
Okay, so some of those things are only tangentially related to a guy being worth a max contract. But regardless, this is the right decision from the Cavaliers standpoint. Once you actually hit on a first overall pick, you need to keep him in the fold, and build around him. Now that they have another top pick in an elite draft coming, that should help ease the load on Irving in the coming seasons and hopefully take the pressure off of him to lead the team by himself.
Ultimately though, Irving signing this deal is something that's out of the organization's control. However, they can control bringing in a good coach that would make him more amenable to staying. That's the next step to making sure Irving is happy in Cleveland, and it's a decision that should be made in the coming days before the draft.