NBA Rumors: Insider claims Brooklyn Nets will aggressively ramp up their efforts to move Kyrie Irving if Kevin Durant gets traded
NBA rumors suggest the Brooklyn Nets will look to move Kyrie Irving if they find a trade partner for Kevin Durant. Irving intends to play out the final year of his contract with the Nets, regardless of whether Durant leaves.
REPORT: Kyrie Irving “has made his intent” to play out this season in Brooklyn, with or without Kevin Durant.
(via Shams Charania) https://t.co/tvykK4TV7g
However, NBA insider Marc Stein's latest on the situation in Brooklyn indicates that the Nets will trade Irving if Durant finds a new home.
Here's what he said regarding this on Spotify Live (via Hoops Hype):
“If [Kevin] Durant goes, I don’t see any way that the Nets just keep Kyrie [Irving]. I think if they can find a Durant trade, they will aggressively ramp up their desire to move Kyrie elsewhere.”
"If [Kevin] Durant goes, I don't see any way that the Nets just keep Kyrie [Irving]. I think if they can find a Durant trade, they will aggressively ramp up their desire to move Kyrie elsewhere."
@TheSteinLine to @KeithSmithNBA on Kyrie Irving trade rumors on @SpotifyLive https://t.co/BtFduEhjfH
The LA Lakers are the only team with reported interest in Kyrie Irving. They have reportedly engaged in discussions with the Brooklyn Nets, but the two sides have been far from agreeing to a deal.
The Lakers tried to package a deal centered around Russell Westbrook. The Nets demanded draft compensation and wanted to offload Joe Harris' two-year $36 million contract. However, LA preferred Seth Curry's expiring $8 million deal.
Report: Lakers want Seth Curry in addition to Kyrie Irving in potential Russell Westbrook swap lakersdaily.com/report-lakers-…
NBA Rumors: LA Lakers to hold off secondary trade options until they're convinced a possible deal with Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving is off the table
The LA Lakers want to improve their roster after their struggles last season. The Russell Westbrook experiment for the Lakers failed massively. It created an awkward fit between Westbrook and LeBron James on the court. Westbrook couldn't excel off the ball.
Meanwhile, his acquisition restricted the Lakers from adding impact role players as they lost their salary cap flexibility. LA ended up with the oldest roster in the league. The team never found its chemistry. Injuries led to Frank Vogel and his staff failing to identify their ideal rotation and lineup combinations.
My sense is that the sides are pretty far apart on what the Pacers hope to bring back for a Turner/Hield package and what the Lakers are prepared to surrender with Westbrook's expiring deal
More around-the-NBA notes via my latest This Week In Basketball: marcstein.substack.com/p/an-nba-lovef… twitter.com/TheSteinLine/s…
Trading Russell Westbrook continues to be the LA Lakers' best option for improvement. Kyrie Irving's situation with the Brooklyn Nets has opened the doors for them to turn things around. No other team will offer the Lakers as much value for Westbrook. Teams are willing to take on Westbrook's $47 million deal for significant draft compensation.
The Pacers rejected the Lakers offer of Russell Westbrook, a 2027 1st-round pick and two 2nd-round picks for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, per @bkravitz.
The Pacers want the Lakers 2029 1st-round pick. https://t.co/W6KeuzRcdh
Talks with the Nets for Irving have slowed down in recent weeks. The Lakers have turned their attention to players like Buddy Hield, Myles Turner and Eric Gordon. However, as per Marc Stein, the Lakers will hold off on these secondary trade options until they're convinced that a deal for Irving is off the table.