Getty Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets reacts during the second half of their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Barclays Center
While the Brooklyn Nets were able to secure Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving for this season. However, there still continues to be murmurs that they may be dealt at the trade deadline. One NBA executive recently told Heavy’s NBA Insider Sean Deveney that while he does not see any weight behind the Durant rumors, he didn’t rule the possibility of Irving and his expiring contract being traded at some point this season.
Irving had already tried to be traded this offseason. After a rather messy contract negotiation, the Nets allowed the point guard to seek potential sign and trade partners with teams around the league to acquire the final year of his contract and possibly extend his contract but to no avail. The only team that truly pursued Irving was the Los Angeles Lakers, who didn’t get him this year but are expected to make a play at him this upcoming offseason.
Kyrie Irving Proposed Trade to Washington Wizards
All reports state that Irving and the Nets are in a good place, but with one year left on his contract, and if the Nets get off to a poor start, that could be all she wrote for the point guard in Brooklyn and the team could look to deal him to avoid getting nothing for him in an offseason departure.
Greg Swartz, in a recent Bleacher Report article, shared a trade proposal that linked the Nets superstar to the Washington Wizards in a potential midseason trade.
Washington Wizards Receive: PG Kyrie Irving
Brooklyn Nets Receive: SG Will Barton, F Kyle Kuzma, PG Monte Morris
In the deal, the Nets would get three players for Irving and get potential starters to join Durant and Ben Simmons in Brooklyn, which would still be a competitive team.
“Brooklyn salvages an Irving experiment that’s been a disaster, as both Barton and Kuzma are solid starters, and Morris can become Ben Simmons’ backup at point guard. This trade gives the Nets a deeper team and takes the guesswork out of when Irving will be available and whether he’ll re-sign next summer,” Swartz writes.
Does the Deal Make Sense?
For Washington, this deal feels like a no-brainer. They get to see what Irving could be with Beal and still have time to figure out if they want to re-sign him at the end of the season. They free up the long jam they have at forward and get a superstar talent at the same time.
For Brooklyn, the only real upside for the deal is avoiding the possibility of Irving going elsewhere without anything in return. Instead, they get Kuzma, who is a decent pick-up but likely wouldn’t be a game changer on this Nets roster. Barton is a solid scorer that can fill a role. Morris could be a quality backup point guard, especially in lieu of Irving’s absence. The deal is definitely an improvement from the previously rumored Russell Westbrook rumors and other packages that the Lakers could make in exchange for Irving and his expiring contract.
Kyrie Could be Traded This Offseason
When asked about potential Nets trades in the middle of the season one NBA executive noted that Durant would not be dealt until next offseason, but Irving is one potential star that could be sent away in the middle of the season.
“Not at the deadline, no. Maybe Kyrie, because of his contract, he is going to be a free agent. So if the year is a disappointment early on, then yes, you would at least have to explore the trade market on Kyrie. You won’t get good value because of all the baggage Kyrie has and because it would probably be a short-term rental. We’ll see how it goes with the Lakers, but if they have a good year and feel like they’re just a Kyrie away from contending next year, they’ll be in a position to get him next summer. So that drags down his trade value,” the Eastern Conference Executive told Heavy’s Sean Deveney.