Kyrie Irving reportedly wants to go to the Knicks ‘very badly,’ but that probably won’t happen

Irving doesn’t have a no-trade clause, and aside from Carmelo Anthony — who wants Houston — the Knicks have no assets.

Kyrie Irving has requested a trade from the Cavaliers, and according to ESPN’s Pablo Torre, the All-Star guard wants to go to the New York Knicks.

Torre appeared on Thursday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take and said he answered a phone call from a source who told him Cleveland’s star point guard “very badly” wants to go to the Knicks.

“I got a phone call. And the voice on the other end of that phone call was a trustworthy person, and he was saying to me that Kyrie Irving very badly wants to be a New York Knick. Kyrie Irving wants to come home.”

Irving went to Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert nearly three weeks ago with a request to be traded, reportedly no longer wanting to play with LeBron James. The Knicks were on his reported list of destinations, which also includes the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Miami Heat.

Irving was born in Australia but grew up in northern New Jersey, playing his high school ball at Montclair and later St. Patrick.

Why it makes sense for Kyrie to want to go to New York

Hometown ties are hard to deny. LeBron did it when he left Miami to steer the Cavs to their first-ever championship in 2016.

Irving has NBA Finals experience. He’s seen first-hand what it takes to earn the world’s highest basketball honor. There’s no better feeling than digging your hometown team — yes, the Knicks count for north Jersey — out of mediocrity and back into the playoff picture.

Irving reportedly wants to be the man. Even though he attempted more shots than LeBron last season — the first time one of The King’s teammates has ever taken more field goals than him — he’s been essentially an off-guard for the past three years.

In New York, he can be the man again. He can join forces with Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. to form a budding young trio hoping to push the Knicks back to the relevance they had at the beginning of this decade.

Why trading Irving to the Knicks doesn’t make sense

It doesn’t matter how badly Irving wants to go to New York. Only three players in the NBA can choose their fate: LeBron, Carmelo Anthony, and Dirk Nowitzki. The remaining 500 players are not fortunate enough to hold a no-trade clause rarely get to determine where they end up in a trade.

The fact remains New York doesn’t have the assets Cleveland — or anyone else for that matter — would want in return for a player of value. Yes, Anthony and LeBron are close friends, but Melo has his sights set on Houston. That could change, but for now, the Knicks’ star doesn’t want to join up and chase a ring with the Cavaliers.

As long as Anthony holds that position, New York has little to nothing to offer for Irving. The Knicks aren’t trading Kristaps Porzingis for Irving, whose contract expires in two years. You don’t need a WojBomb to figure that out. And aside from Tim Hardaway, rookie Frank Ntilikina — who didn’t play in Summer League — second-rounder Damyean Dotson, and second-year guard Ron Baker, the Knicks’ roster leaves much to be desired.

Cleveland isn’t going to trade Irving unless it’s on their terms. Moving him to New York doesn’t make any sense, at least not at the moment.

Odds Kyrie goes home

Kyrie Irving may very well want to head back up north, but the fact remains his trade destination is out of his hands. He holds the card of deciding whether or not to re-sign with a team when his contract runs its course in 2019 (or 2020 depending on his option), but the Cavaliers can be very thorough throughout this trade process.

The Knicks don’t have much to offer, and unless they get a third team into the mix, it’s unlikely Irving ends up in New York. For that reason, the Knicks have a 15 percent chance at landing Irving this summer — the same amount as Carmelo Anthony’s trade kicker.

Irving could eventually join the Knicks when his free agency rears around in 2019. But until then, his fate is out of his hands. And when you request a trade with no spades in your hand, you’re almost certain to get cut.