Getty Kevin Durant #7 reacts with Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets
Trust. There seems to be a common denominator in all of the problems happening for the Brooklyn Nets at the moment, and it all starts with trust and the lack of trust that has been exhibited. The Nets were ‘unwilling‘ to offer Kyrie Irving a long-term extension this offseason after everything that occurred all season long with Irving and the vaccine mandate, James Harden drama, and uncertainty about his future. The list goes on and on. How the front office in Brooklyn handled Irving’s contract negotiations is believed to have contributed to Kevin Durant’s decision to ask for a trade.
Now we have had a summer of trade proposals involving Durant with no real traction. After a month of uncertainty, fans finally got some clarity when Durant met with Nets governor Joe Tsai. However, in the meeting, the superstar reiterated his desire to be dealt from the franchise and also issued an ultimatum that he would be more open to staying if the team fired general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash. In that report, Shams Charania of The Athletic cited Durant’s lack of trust in the organization as something that fueled the ultimatum.
“Durant stated he does not have faith in the team’s direction, sources said,” Charania wrote.
After the contract negotiations with Irving went awry, the team allowed Irving to seek sign-and-trade partners for the point guard, but only one team was interested in trading for him, and that was the Los Angeles Lakers, who didn’t have the trade package to get a deal done. Now, the Lakers continue to be the only known team seeking Irving trades, and this season has a lot more weight for Irving than it did previously.
Analyst Sounds Off on the Importance of This Season for Irving
In a recent episode of NBA Today, ESPN Reported Nick Friedell shared how important this year is for Kyrie Irving and his overall legacy.
“The rest of the league is waiting to see how he responds and if he really wants to lock in as a member of a team that potentially could still win at a high level,” Friedell said.
One reason the weight of next season weighs so strong on Irving next season is more than just that he can be a good teammate, but his legacy as a whole, according to Friedell.
“When you think of Kyrie’s legacy … an incredibly talented guard, who you were never sure you could trust night to night.”
—@NickFriedell on how this upcoming season can change Kyrie’s legacy
“When you think of Kyrie’s legacy … an incredibly talented guard, who you were never sure you could trust night to night,” Friedell said.
Current Kyrie Trade Negotiations
While some in Brooklyn hope things can be mended with their two stars, and Irving has been said to be in a “good place” with the franchise, there still remains active trade negotiations for the All-Star point guard. The Lakers remain in pursuit of Irving and have even pledged that they would part with both their first round picks in their extension negotiations with LeBron James. However, the Nets want more than draft picks and a player like Russell Westbrook in the deal. The most recent reports have them wanting to acquire a ‘win-now‘ player in any trade for Kyrie Irving.
“L.A. has nonetheless pledged to James that it will indeed continue to aggressively pursue upgrades. League sources say James, in fact, has been assured that the Lakers are willing to trade both of their available future first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 if a trade that costs them both picks can realistically position the Lakers to return to contender status,” Marc Stein shared in his recent column.
“Yet sources say that the prospect of acquiring a focused Irving, or a similarly splashy acquisition, does still hold that kind of appeal to the Lakers even at the costly price. Sources confirm that they would be willing to surrender both firsts in tandem with Westbrook’s $47.1 million expiring contract to acquire Irving (although it’s unclear if the picks would be unprotected or protected),” Stein continued.