current location:HOME > Sports News > Basketball Hub > Text content

Exploring possible trade destinations for Nets' Kyrie Irving

nqajqrqw7months ago (05-17)Basketball Hub196

On January 15, after a 112-102 loss to the Oklahoma CityThunder, Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving was asked about KevinDurant's absence. More specifically, he was asked how thecircumstances (and the locker room) differ from last year. This iswhat he had to say.

Kyrie on why KD's absence is different thisyear: "Well I'm consistently in the lineup, that helps. We alsodon't have anyone who is halfway in in the locker room."

— Alec Sturm (@Alec_Sturm) January 16, 2023

There was a hint of irony to the response in light ofhisabsence for large portions of last season due toNew York's vaccine mandate, as well as the suspension he servedthis season due to sharing antisemitic content. Secondarily, itfelt like a clear shot at former Nets guard James Harden, whoultimately requested a trade before last year's deadline.

On January 15, Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes relayed word from Irving'sagent, expressing their desire to reach an agreement on along-term extension in Brooklyn. From the piece:

"Around Kyrie and staying with the Nets? I have reached out tothe Nets regarding this," his agent Shetellia Irving told BleacherReport. "We have had no significant conversations to date. Thedesire is to make Brooklyn home, with the right type of extension,which means the ball is in the Nets' court to communicate now iftheir desire is the same."

It would appear the desire isn't mutual. With no extensionagreed to, Irving has reportedly requested a trade from the Netsahead of the February 9 trade deadline.

Zooming out, that's three separate trade requests the Nets havereceived from stars over the past calendar year. And before digginginto potential destinations from Irving, it's worth taking the stepback to acknowledge how wild things have been in Brooklyn duringthe 7/11 Era.

(Also, the clock is going to start back ticking on Durant, no?Irving requesting the trade now is unfortunate timing. Depending onwhat they could get back, this deal could take the Nets out of thecontention conversation through absolutely no fault of Durant's.Considering Irving's role in Durant's trade request in the summer —he wants, or wanted, his guy there with him long-term — it would beunderstandable if he got antsy again.)

Irving has been tremendous on the court this season, averaging27.1 points (career-high 56.9% on 2s, 37.4% on 3s), 5.3 assists and5.1 rebounds. His blend of ball-handling, pull-up shooting andfinishing is almost unrivaled in the league — and in leaguehistory. And to Irving's credit, his buy-in on the defensive end isas consistently high as it's ever been in his career.

Share with friends:

“Exploring possible trade destinations for Nets' Kyrie Irving” ofrelated articles

Breaking down the top-5 steals in the 2023 NBA Draft

The 2023 NBA Draft produced oneof the greatest rookie seasons of all-time. Victor Wembanyama, the most highly anticipatedphenom since LeBron James, wa...

Caitlin Clark breaks NCAA women’s basketball all-time scoring record

Iowa Hawkeyes superstar guardCaitlin Clark made history on Thursday night as she became theall-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketballhistory.C...

Former NBA GM on how media coverage, false narratives impact players

Former NBA GM on how media coverage, false narratives impact players

This article was originallypublished on BasketballNews on June 1, 2021.Pete Babcock is a former NBAexecutive, who served as the general manager of the...

2023 NBA playoffs were league's most-watched postseason in 5 years

The 2023 NBA Playoffs across ABC, ESPNand TNT averaged 5.47 million viewers, making it the most-watchedplayoffs in five years.NBA games accounted for...

Bob Myers departing as Warriors president, GM after 4 NBA titles

SAN FRANCISCO(AP) — Bob Myers is departing as president and general manager ofthe Golden State Warriors after building a championship team thatcapture...

LeBron James questions future after Lakers eliminated by Nuggets

LOS ANGELES(AP) — LeBron James began the final game of his 20th NBA seasonwith the highest-scoring postseason half of his matchless NBAcareer.He ended...