NBA Trade Rumors: Bobby Marks outlines San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers and Indiana Pacers as plausible landing options for 7x All-Star
The NBA offseason is certainly going to see a lot of talented players being traded around.
Among them, the most interesting name is Kyrie Irving. The 30-year-old has been with the Brooklyn Nets for three seasons. He is eligible for a lucrative max contract extension at the end of the season. But the franchise has shown negligence in offering that due to his unavailability for them in the past few years.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the talks between the 7-time All-Star and the Nets front office have reached an impasse. Kyrie Irving's lack of accountability has shifted the focus of big teams away from him.
Bobby Marks, an NBA Insider for ESPN, stated that it was best for both the Nets and Irving to mutually reach an agreement. According to him, both parties need each other to succeed next season.
While speaking about the options Irving had if he had to move from the Nets, Marks said:
"They both need each other, that's the ramifications when you look at Kyrie with his 36 million dollar player option, who is out there to go out and sign him, is it going to be Portland, Orlando, Indiana, San Antonio. Those aren't very attractive situations, so there is not much leverage from Irving's situation."
Kyrie Irving's 36 million dollar player option cannot be absorbed by some of the big teams in the NBA. As per recent reports, the New York Knicks, LA Lakers and the LA Clippers are the frontrunners.
However, they will all need to sign and trade if they want to get Irving to the team. Meanwhile, other small-market teams have the cap space to absorb his player option.
The Nets would prefer a shorter-term, incentive-based deal with Kyrie Irving, per @JakeLFischer
Dialogue between both sides is expected to remain 'fluid' up until the June 29 deadline for Irving to opt into his $36.9M player option https://t.co/HonP7DgQ09
Irving has time until June 29 to opt into his contract, but there are doubts if that will happen. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the seven-time All-Star. He is still in his prime and whichever team decides to bring him in, they can be assured of a stellar performer in Kyrie Irving.
Kyrie Irving and the Nets are ‘at impasse’ that clears the way for him to test the open market, per @ShamsCharania
The Lakers and Knicks are expected to be suitors https://t.co/LnAgFks2yB
If Kyrie Irving stays with the Brooklyn Nets, can he and Kevin Durant lead the Nets to an NBA championship?
Kyrie Irving has been with the Brooklyn Nets for three seasons now. He was also partly responsible for James Harden and Kevin Durant coming into the team. There were championship expectations from this "Big 3," but they failed to deliver as per the expectations people had on them. Harden even left the Nets and joined the Philadelphia 76ers to compete for an NBA title.
This now leaves Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving solely responsible for the franchise. They had a dismal playoff campaign during the 2021-22 season, but if given a chance they could definitely do better.
Irving and Durant are two of the best offensive players in the NBA. Their skillset is diverse and can terrorize any defense in the league.
Kyrie Irving Nets career:
103 — Games played
123 — Games missed https://t.co/KhbUE5SVd2
With the likes of Ben Simmons and Joe Harris expected to be back, the Nets have a strong roster for next season. But Kyrie Irving will only make them better as he brings in even more explosiveness on the offensive end.
Kyrie Irving has the best handles in NBA history https://t.co/sWbCNGTtct
If the Nets were to trade Irving, they would be short of a player who guarantees 20 plus points every night. They can certainly add a valuable role player, but with Irving, they get a point guard who can turn games in no time.
The 30-year-old has been in the NBA for over a decade. He can certainly add more value to the Nets roster and help them win a championship.