If Kyrie Irving bidding reopens, Bucks have offer with Malcolm Brogdon, Khris Middleton

Most likely the deal between the Cavaliers and Celtics for Kyrie Irving gets finalized today (Wednesday). The Cavaliers are already getting Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and the highly-coveted Brooklyn first-round draft pick this year. The Cleveland doctors think that the healing timeline/re-injury risk with Thomas is longer than they thought and they want more compensation, and Boston likely throws in a second rounder.

If the trade falls apart, there are other teams hanging around wanting to get in on the Irving bidding, reports Zach Lowe at ESPN. But none of them have a deal near as good as the Celtics gave up.

The Milwaukee Bucks lurk on the fringes of the Irving bidding with an offer centered around Malcolm Brogdon, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, and Khris Middleton, sources say. The Bucks have not yet put a first-round pick on the table, sources say, but the bet here is that they would to get the deal done -- or if Irving showed any interest in staying in Milwaukee long-term.

The problem is, that pick from the Bucks is middle of the draft at best, not nearly high enough to get a star the Cavs can count on. Middleton helps now, but while Brogdon won Rookie of the Year in a down season, he is not a blue-chip star player (like they likely land with the Brooklyn pick).

The Suns would have the kind of pick the Cavs want, but...

An unprotected pick from Phoenix would, but bad teams a half-decade away from relevance don’t deal picks for stars who make them slightly less bad before bolting in free agency. Other likely lottery teams -- Sacramento, Atlanta, Indiana, Chicago -- don’t appear to have made offers.

Denver’s name comes up from fans speculating on a deal.

Denver was the one team in the sweet spot to go all-in with an offer of Wilson Chandler, Jamal Murray (the blue-chipper), and at least one first-round pick. They are at little risk of coughing up a top-10 pick, with a need at point guard and a roster that generally fits Irving’s aging curve. Denver never ventured nearly that far. There are obvious reasons for their reluctance: Irving’s free agency in 2019, the Warriors, the challenge of building a defense book-ended by Irving and Nikola Jokic, the expense of an Irving-Jokic-Gary Harris core.

The big one there: Denver is building a team on a curve to be potentially very good in a few years, right when the juggernaut in Golden State starts to show cracks in the foundation (at least the rest of the league hopes so). Trade for Irving and they are full-on win now at the same time the Warriors’ powers are at their peak. Patience is a virtue.

Boston wants Irving — he’s younger than Thomas, may be better now but certainly will be better in three years — and they have a real chance to keep him in 2019 free agency. Cleveland wants that Brooklyn pick, and there are no options as good as the one on the table.

Which is why the already agreed to Cavaliers/Celtics swap will get done.