"If you're the Nets are you realistically going to take THT, Austin Reaves and try to get Russell Westbrook?" - Jay Williams calls out Kyrie Irving's bluff after he re-signs with Brooklyn Nets
Kyrie Irving exercised his player-option yesterday and informed the Athletic of his decision to stay with the Brooklyn Nets. Irving will go into the final year of his $136 million deal, earning $36.5 million in 2022.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is opting into his $37 million player option for the 2022-23 season, @TheAthletic @Stadium has learned. Irving is bypassing on multiple opt-in and trade scenarios to fulfill his four-year commitment to the Nets and Kevin Durant.
Former NBA player Jay Williams spoke on Irving's decision, stating:
"Kyrie Irving had no leverage in the marketplace guys, you and I talked about this, ninety-five percent of the teams that he had listed on his list didn't have even cap space for it to even workout. If you're the Nets are you realistically going to take THT, Austin Reaves and try to get Russell Westbrook?"
"All this stuff was built where at the end of the day, he was trying to secure a long-term deal with the Nets but there's no way in hell this dude is going to leave $30 million on the table by opting out...that's $30 million" (via) ESPN
Kyrie Irving exercising his player option does not rule out a trade in the future
Irving's decision to opt into his $36.5 million player option might be a better decision than a sign-and-trade to LA.
To bring Irving to LA, the Lakers would face a tough choice between their new addition and Russell Westbrook. While both are talented players, Westbrook didn't live up to his MVP pedigree this season.
The Lakers would love to have Irving back with LeBron to stymie a potential Warriors' Western Conference stronghold.
If things don't turn out that way, it be better for the Nets. The Brooklyn Nets have been an unsuccessful experiment thus far, so adding Russell Westbrook to the mix may not be good decision.
The reason Irving requested a sign-and-trade in the first place was that none of the teams had enough cap space to absorb his contract, so if he were to opt out, his best option would be a $6.4 million mid-level exception.
But Westbrook's contract expires next season, and so does Irving's. So, with the possibility opening up in 2023, we might just see LeBron and Irving back in action together, just later than expected.