Getty Kyrie Irving sits in isolation during the Nets loss to the Chicago Bulls
The Brooklyn Nets’ decision to suspend Kyrie Irving for sharing a link to an anti-Semitic film must have been tough. They are already 3-6 on the season, and Ben Simmons has missed the past three games due to knee soreness. In addition, Seth Curry and TJ Warren have yet to make an appearance for the Nets this season. In a statement released by the franchise, the Nets said that Irving is currently ‘unfit’ to be associated with the team.
“Such failure to disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, is against the values of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team. Accordingly, we are of the view that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets,” the statement reads.
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Trade Proposal Pairs Kyrie Irving With Luka Doncic
In a year that Brooklyn aspired to be top title contenders, things have gone wayward. With Irving set to become a free agent this summer, the chances of him being in a Nets uniform next season are looking grim, leaving the door open for him to get moved before the trade deadline. One NBA executive told Heavy’s Sean Deveney that a potential landing spot for Kyrie could be the Dallas Mavericks.
“He is not the most popular guy around the league right now, that is going to be a factor—not so much whether or not they want to trade him but whether they can get anything for him they do. Right now, they are not shopping anyone, they’re probably going to let Ime (Udoka) have a chance to turn things around first, then go from there,” the executive said to Heavy Sports.
“If they’re going to move him, Dallas is one place that considered him, but that did not go anywhere. It could be a straightforward deal, (Davis) Bertans and (Tim) Hardaway for Kyrie, something like that. I am not sure you want to put Kyrie with Luka (Doncic) while Luka is playing the way he is playing, but it would allow Dallas to free up money this summer, maybe to do a sign-and-trade with Kyrie, too.”
Nets May Look To “Retool” Around Kevin Durant
If Irving does move on from the Nets, he will be the second All-Star to depart from the franchise in as many seasons. Brooklyn once envisioned Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden as their star trio of the future. But with Harden gone, and Irving potentially on the way out, the only person who will remain of the three is Durant.
The executive says that in the event of an Irving departure this summer, Brooklyn could also look to part ways with Ben Simmons and completely rebuild the roster to Durant’s strengths.
“What you will see is probably a retooling around Kevin Durant. They won’t trade him unless they have to. They’ve been seeing what they can get for (Ben) Simmons for a while now, but they need him to play better before they move him. They’re not going to sell low on him right now, what would be the point of that? But they’re going to be open to moving Kyrie and Simmons over the next few months unless they catch fire,” the executive added.
“Kyrie is going to be a free agent, though, so teams are worried about that. And Ben Simmons has a big contract, so you’re worried about that. It’s not going to be easy to move on from either of those guys and if they go into the summer without making a major deal, then you’ll probably see them try to trade Durant again.”
After such a tumultuous start, this Nets team could look a lot different at the season’s end.