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With Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving on an expiring contract and scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this summer after he and the Nets did not agree on an extension, many feel this is his last season in a Brooklyn uniform. The Nets could allow him to play out the remainder of his contract this year and see how far he and Kevin Durant can take them, but they would run the risk of losing him for nothing in the offseason. If they trade him before the deadline, they could at least recoup some assets in exchange for the All-NBA guard.
Enter the Los Angeles Lakers. NBA insider Bill Simmons of “The Ringer” says there is ‘buzz’ that the Lakers are willing to make their star big man Anthony Davis available for trade after a 2-7 start to the season.
“So, the Lakers lost again today. There’s some buzz, some buzzing that AD might be available,” Simmons said on the November 7 episode of “The Ringer”.
“That’s a Plan B. Because the Westbrook trade, or whatever they think they can get for Westbrook and whether you want to give up future assets, maybe that doesn’t even make sense because what are you getting if you’re the Lakers?”
Amid the news of Davis, one of the league’s top big men, being made available, Nets fans urged the front office to move Kyrie for the Lakers star, as the likelihood of him returning next season looks increasingly grim.
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Nets Give Irving List of Task To Complete Before Returning
Last month, Kyrie tweeted the link to the 2018 film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” which features anti-Semitic tropes. His decision to tweet the link was met with heavy backlash from members of the Jewish community and their allies.
Despite having several opportunities to issue a direct apology amid the backlash, Irving chose not to. As a result, the Nets handed him a suspension of at least five games and have required him to complete a list of tasks before being eligible to return. per NBA insider Shams Charania of “The Athletic”.
Those tasks include:
– Apologize/condemn the movie
– $500K donation to anti-hate causes
– Sensitivity training
– Antisemitic training
– Meet with ADL, Jewish leaders
– Meet with Joe Tsai to demonstrate understanding
Lebron James Sounds off on Kyrie Irving
There would be some skepticism about an Irving to the Lakers trade. Because as one of the most radioactive names in the NBA right now, it brings up the question of if any team would want to trade for him. Especially without the guarantee of him being on the roster beyond next season.
This would particularly apply to the Lakers. Irving’s decision to share the link sent shockwaves through the NBA. One player to condemn Kyrie’s actions was Lakers star LeBron James, who says the Nets star posting the link caused ‘harm’ to people.
“I can tell you this. It’s simple. Me personally, I don’t condone any hate of any kind, to any race. To Jewish communities, to Black communities, to Asian communities. You guys know where I stand. And that’s part of the reason why I didn’t air The Shop episode, why we kicked that out of the archives. Because it was hate conversation going on there,” James said on November 5.
“And I don’t represent that. There’s no place in this world for it. Nobody can benefit from that, and I believe what Kyrie did caused some harm to a lot of people.”
It will be interesting to see what direction the Nets move in with Irving’s future.
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