When Kyrie Irving requested a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017, his representation offered a list of preferred teams to the front office. Irving included the San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves or Miami Heat.
Sources say then-agent Jeffrey Wechsler purposely omitted the Boston Celtics. The Celtics had just played the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals and were generally considered their biggest rivals at the time.
Once Wechsler received permission to contact opposing teams, he and Danny Ainge engaged in frequent dialogue about Irving’s trade market.
The Cavaliers considered the 2018 first round pick owned by Boston via the Brooklyn Nets to be the premier draft asset that was offered. The Celtics likely would not have risked trading for Irving without knowing he had strong interest in the franchise. Irving, however, eventually left the Celtics in 2019 after a tumultuous season.