The Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving was announced as NBA 2K18's cover star in early June. The NBA Finals were happening, the Cavs were competing for the championship, and Irving was seen as one of the cornerstones of the team. Now, however, it appears that Irving's time in Cleveland may be waning: ESPN is reporting that Irving has asked to be traded.

　　According to ESPN's sources, Irving has expressed dissatisfaction playing alongside the NBA's biggest celebrity, LeBron James. He wants to be more of a focus, and he's looking for a team where he could be the biggest star. He's reportedly expressed interest in the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat.

　　If the trade were to go through, it would put the game in the peculiar position of depicting its cover star playing for his old team. Considering that NBA 2K18 hasn't even launched yet, this might be a bit of a marketing headache for developer 2K Sports.

　　If you're concerned that your copy of NBA 2K18 won't have an up-to-date cover in the case of an Irving trade, you could always look into importing a copy from Canada. For the first time ever, Canada will get its own cover athlete: DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors. Or you can grab one of the special editions that feature Shaquille O'Neal on the cover.

　　In any case, you can get some nice bonuses if you pre-order the game. You'll get to play it four days early, starting on September 15. In addition, you'll receive the following content:

　　5,000 Virtual Currency10 Weekly MyTeam PacksKyrie Outfit PackNBA 2K18 officially launches for everyone on September 19 for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.