Josh Jackson on Kyrie Irving Trade Rumors: 'I Got a Feeling' No Deal Will Happen

Suns rookie Josh Jackson doesn't think Phoenix will trade for Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving this offseason.

"I think if that was going to happen, it would have happened by now," he said during an appearance on Sirius XM NBA Radio (h/t Jack Maloney of CBS Sports).

Jackson's comments are notable because Maloney wrote "only a proposed deal with the Phoenix Suns came even close to happening, but those talks fell apart after the Suns refused to include Josh Jackson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, in the trade."

Jackson continued, saying, "If I'm traded to China, whatever, I'm going to come out and be happy and just try to make the best of it. I was kind of in the dark a little bit, but I got a feeling that the trade really wasn't going to happen."

The potential Irving trade discussions dominated much of the talk during the NBA offseason after ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst reported in July that Irving asked the Cavaliers to trade him in part because he no longer wanted to play under LeBron James' shadow.

Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com noted the Cavs are looking for a veteran starter, a blue-chip player on a rookie contract and a first-round pick in exchange for the superstar point guard, and Jackson would seemingly fit the requirement of a blue-chipper on a friendly deal as a top-five pick out of Kansas.

However, Vardon reported the Suns don't want to trade Jackson and already told guard Devin Booker they will not trade him.

"If that deal (Bledsoe, Miami first-rounder and Jackson) for Irving was there, it'd be done by now," a league source told Vardon, seemingly echoing Jackson's recent sentiment.

There is also the matter of timing from Phoenix's perspective with Jackson. Maloney called this stage of August "an awkward time for a recently drafted rookie to be included in so many trade talks" because he is transitioning from the college game to the pros and preparing for his first season.

Jackson believes he won't have to worry about switching teams during that transition period.