The Brooklyn Nets and star point guard Kyrie Irving have not gotten any closer to finding an amicable solution that keeps him in the team.
As a matter of fact, right now things are trending in the opposite direction. Nets General Manager Sean Marks and star forward Kevin Durant have yet to speak this offseason, but according to sources, Irving’s camp has requested and received permission from the Nets to speak with other teams about sign-and-trade packages/
The belief among the league and player circles is that Kyrie Irving will be gone and the Seven-Eleven Era in Brooklyn is over before it ever began. Kyrie only appeared in 103 regular season games in three years with the Nets. His run was ravaged by a nagging shoulder injury in the first year, then absences for personal reasons in the second year and last year, Irving’s unwillingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine, which was a problem because he plays in a city that didn’t create a professional athlete exemption in its mandate until weeks before the playoffs began.
The Nets have been unwilling to give Kyrie Irving a long-term contract extension with significant financial guarantees. The team does not believe Irving is committed to doing what it takes to be on the floor often and help his teammates.
Brooklyn does not have the cap space to replace Kyrie Irving if he leaves as a free agent, and the only teams with the cap space to sign him need much more than his services if they’re going to make the playoffs, let alone compete for an NBA championship.
As for the sign-and-trade, Irving reportedly has the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, Heat, 76ers and Mavericks on his radar. According to a source, a Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook reunion in Brooklyn remains highly unlikely.
The Knicks, Mavericks and Heat are the teams with more capacity to pull off a Kyrie Irving trade, but the Knicks and Mavericks are now in a bidding war over free agent guard Jalen Brunson.
