NBA Rumors: Kyrie Irving leveraging his value in trade talks with Brooklyn, could end up in a favorable destination as a result
Kyrie Irving finds himself amidst NBA drama yet again, as his position on exercising his player option remains murky.
The leverage that Kyrie Irving currently has over the Brooklyn Nets entails two things.
First, should Irving decline his player option and leave in free-agency, the Brooklyn Nets run the risk of losing a franchise player for nothing. Second, should Irving leave the Brooklyn Nets at all, Kevin Durant's interest in remaining with the team is, to some extent, jeopardized.
Durant has commented on the situation and plans to stay away from all the drama; however, without another go-to player on the roster, he cannot will the Nets all the way to an NBA championship.
Kevin Pelton of ESPN wrote on the matter. He believes that Kyrie Irving's decision will be a major component of this offseason as it will in turn affect Durant's situation. He indicated that the Nets may have to find a new location for Irving to avoid a total loss.
The possible transactions of two NBA superstars could headline this offseason.
As reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, should the Nets and Irving fail to reach a deal, Irving has listed a set of teams that he would like to be traded to.
A sign-and-trade is inevitable with the teams Irving has listed, as none of the teams have enough cap space to absorb his contract.
Kyrie Irving and James Harden leaving the Nets is a testament to something Draymond Green has referred to
Draymond Green, on The Volume's "The Colin Cowherd Podcast," spoke about Kevin Durant's tenure with the Warriors and talked about how the only thing asked of him when he was in the Bay was to go out and play basketball.
This statement is now very potent in the context of what has been taking place in Brooklyn over the last two weeks. Irving's date for opting-in is coming closer, and every rumor from his side seems to point to an exit, and an acrimonious one at that.
Kevin Durant left the Warriors to come play with Irving in Brooklyn and now with both Harden and Irving gone, Durant finds himself in an unprecedented situation, despite having played at an MVP level in the regular-season.