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In a sequence of events that shook up the NBA landscape, the Brooklyn Nets traded both their franchise cornerstones ahead of the February 9 deadline. The Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving era is officially over in Brooklyn, and the rebuild is underway. The Nets have a lot of solid young pieces on their roster, adding Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson to pair with Nicolas Claxton and Cam Thomas. But one thing they are missing is a veteran. Per NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B,” Robinson of Bally Sports, one vet the Nets could potentially add is nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook.
“Russell Westbrook suitors if bought out by Utah Jazz includes Hornets, Wizards, Nets, Clippers, Mavs,” Robinson tweeted on February 8.
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Lakers Trade Russell Westbrook Ahead of Deadline
For those who are tardy to the party, Westbrook was traded from the Lakers to the Utah Jazz ahead of the deadline on February 8. The former MVP’s time with his hometown franchise is over after being acquired by the Lakers in 2021.
The Lakers star trio of Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis, and the Nets All-Star front of James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving, were once favored to meet for a star-studded clash in the 2022 NBA Finals. But that never materialized, and less than two years later, both trios have been blown up.
ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski outlined the complete details of the three-team trade that sent Westbrook out of Los Angeles.
“The Los Angeles Lakers have traded Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz and reacquire point guard D’Angelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-team, eight-player trade announced Thursday. The Lakers also get Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt in the trade, while the Timberwolves will receive guards Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker and picks,” Wojnarowski writes per ESPN.
“In addition to Westbrook, the Jazz will receive Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones, and a 2027 Lakers first-round pick that is top-four protected, sources said. If the Lakers’ pick to the Jazz is not conveyed in 2027 — if it falls in the top four — it will convert to a 2027 second-round pick, sources told ESPN’s, Zach Lowe.”
Kyrie Irving Felt ‘Very Disrespected’ by Nets Proposed Incentives
The Nets have created two super teams in two eras and have just two playoff series wins to show for it. There was optimism for the future when Durant and Irving joined the Nets instead of the New York Knicks during the 2019 NBA free agency period. But ultimately, things never took off the way most expected them to.
The icing on the cake seemed to be the Nets’ reluctance to offer Irving a long-term contract this summer when he had a player option, a dilemma that eventually bled into this season.
Scoop B notes that Irving’s sporadic availability during his Nets tenure was a big factor behind Brooklyn’s hesitancy to offer him a second max contract.
“Ultimately the Nets did not want to pay him the money because he wasn’t available. So, there’s this philosophy and I was getting that information in the summertime when where Ky’s on the floor, he’s effective. But then on the Nets side it’s, well, he’s not on the floor… you take into consideration the suspension after January 6th and the whole COVID-19 mandate thing and more,” Robinson said on the “Under the Hood” podcast on February 6.
“The Nets were often described as on the Irving side using the portion of him not being available as the reason why they didn’t want to pay him and then ultimately last week or so when Irving and the Nets were communicating about a potential deal, it was more of the same; the Nets basically told him, Listen. We’ll give you an extension, but it’s going to be incentive-laden and based upon whether the Nets win a championship.
And you know, Kyrie felt VERY disrespected about it, and Sean Marks wasn’t budging on certain things, and Joe Tsai wasn’t budging on certain things. It was a marriage that NEEDED to end, and here we are, Dallas is the honeymoon.”
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