The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the midst of a tough offseason, with rumors that LeBron James will look elsewhere next summer and reports that Kyrie Irving has requested a trade.

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert painted a very different picture alongside new general manage Koby Altman on Wednesday, expressing the belief that Irving will still be a Cavalier come training camp. Whether Gilbert's belief is honest or just leverage is up for debate. 

The Cavaliers aren't unfamiliar with dealing with this type of situation. As LeBron made his way out of Cleveland as a free agent in 2010, it was fairly clear he was ready to move on. James wasn't recruiting free agents for the Cavaliers and was reportedly unreachable as he inched closer to making his infamous decision. 

Kyrie Irving may be taking a page out of King James' manuscript. The Cavaliers have reportedly "unsuccessfully tried to contact" Kyrie recently, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic Cleveland. Worse, he's "not talking to anyone" within the Cavaliers organization. 

James has been the person recruiting players to Cleveland this summer, helping bring both Derrick Rose and Jeff Green into the fold. To be fair, in the summer of 2010 James was an actual free agent, whereas he's still currently under contract with the Cavaliers. It makes sense he'd want to help the team while he's still on it. 

It's not a great sign for Cleveland that there are clear parallels between Kyrie in the present and LeBron as he made his exit from the Cavaliers in 2010. The difference for Cleveland, though, is they have some control of this situation.

That's why the front office has to come out on a united front that all things are fine. Losing trade leverage on Irving could be disastrous for the Cavaliers, who could also be looking at a future without LeBron should he leave in 2018. They need a very good return on their 25-year-old All-Star that's under contract for two full seasons, with a player option for a third season.

Irving cutting off communication and not assisting in the recruitment process may be the clearest sign yet that, despite what the Cavaliers want the world to believe, Kyrie already has his mind elsewhere.

Cleveland should be able to get a massive package in return for Irving, who's coming off a career year, has no off-court baggage and is one of the NBA's elite point guards. Despite the Cavaliers painting a less-dire picture, they may not even be able to get Kyrie on the phone right now.