Getty Kyrie Irving, formerly of the Boston Celtics.
The Brooklyn Nets and Kyrie Irving are dominating the headlines with the bombshell report from The Athletic that revealed the two sides are at an impasse.
After Irving said he didn’t plan on going anywhere after being swept by the Boston Celtics, it sure seems like a lot has changed rapidly. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Irving appears ready to test free agency.
“Nearly two months later, it appears both sides have serious work to do in order to find a resolution that brings Irving back to Brooklyn and his co-star in Durant, who is under contract with the Nets through 2025-26,” wrote Charania on June 20. “Several teams across the league have kept tabs on the situation, wondering about the future of Irving and Brooklyn. The Lakers, Knicks and Clippers are expected to be among the interested suitors if Irving heads elsewhere, multiple sources tell The Athletic.”
This is certainly big news for not just the Nets, but the NBA as a whole because Irving is a player who teams would love to have on their team. It seems like Irving is enjoying how things are playing out amidst all the chaos.
Shortly after Charania broke the news, Irving tweeted out a three-second video clip that has fans scratching their heads.
Irving Responds
The clip is something for sleuths to decipher because most people won’t be able to get much out of Irving’s post. He’s posted cryptic messages like this in the past that fans read too much into that ended up meaning nothing.
This doesn’t seem like a harmless post this time around as he’s well aware of what’s going on across social media as “Kyrie” was trending number one on Twitter at the time of him sending out that tweet.
There’s no guarantee Irving will even leave in the offseason, but the fact he’s reportedly considering his options this offseason is noteworthy nonetheless.
Durant is also tweeting through the storm, but he hasn’t addressed the Irving trade rumors at all. Instead, he’s just responding to fans about basketball questions.
In the event Irving does leave the Nets, Charania reports there are already three teams that have emerged as potential frontrunners.
Knicks, Clippers, Lakers
GettyKyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets.
With Irving being a superstar talent, it makes sense for teams who want to compete for a championship to land him.
Charania says the Clippers and Lakers are potential landing spots, but he also names the Knicks as an option.
A reunion with LeBron James would be an interesting idea to think about, but it would be difficult to pull off. Russell Westbrook would have to be moved, and there would be little to suggest that the Nets would agree to an outright trade of Irving for Westbrook.
The Clippers would be able to create a big three of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Irving if they could hang onto their current duo. The Knicks don’t make a lot of sense from a winning perspective, but landing Irving would be huge for New York.
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