NBA Free Agents 2014: Kyrie Irving Could Sign Five-Year, $80 Million Extension With Cleveland Cavaliers
Kyrie Irving recently expressed his frustration with reports indicating that he is not happy in Cleveland, and the superstar point guard could end all the speculation about his future when summer arrives.
The Morning Journal reported that the Cavaliers will offer a five-year, $80 million deal to Irving this summer, and sources indicated that the 22-year-old point guard could make a quick decision in the offseason.
Irving, who will be playing in the final year of his rookie contract next season, is expected to have a busy summer after being selected to participate in Team USA Basketball's Training Camp.
The Cavaliers are expected to put an offer on the table on July 1, and the former Duke University standout will reportedly make a decision before his USA Basketball obligations start on July 28 in Las Vegas.
"The Cavaliers are expected to offer Irving a five-year, $80 million maximum extension on July 1," The Morning Journal reported. "If he wants to get that done before his USA Basketball obligations, he'll have to decide before the month is over. Training camp starts on July 28 in Las Vegas."
Previous reports indicated that Irving might consider leaving Cleveland once his contract runs out after failing to make the playoffs in his first three seasons.
Irving's rumored rift with sophomore guard Dion Waiters may allegedly be a factor, as well, when he makes his free agency decision, but the third-year guard insisted that all the speculation about his future is nonsense at this point.
"I'm not an attention seeker. I don't go out trying to put all these rumors out," Irving recently said via ESPN. "For people that feel that it's a good thing to continue to put my name in the headlines to get reads, that's your job, but at a certain point it's got to stop."
Irving, who is averaging 21.1 points and 6.2 assists this season, is continuously being linked to several teams like the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, but experts are still convinced that the All-Star point guard will stay in Cleveland.
It should be noted that a player of Irving's caliber usually stays with his team after his rookie contract, knowing that moving to another team doesn't make sense financially.