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For those who may be tardy to the party, The Brooklyn Nets traded their All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks on February 5. The Nets may not be done making big trades ahead of the deadline on February 9. Per NBA Trade Report on Twitter, the Nets are “discussing” another blockbuster trade for their All-Star forward Ben Simmons with their Atlantic Division rival, the Toronto Raptors.
“Nets and Raptors discussing trade centered around Pascal Siakam. Nets willing to offer Ben Simmons + multiple first-round picks. Toronto covets Nic Claxton,” they tweeted on February 6.
Simmons has not played since January 26 when he suffered a knee injury against the Detroit Pistons. But he has not contributed much in the 37 games he has played this year. On the season he is averaging 7.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game.
The Nets acquired Simmons last February in a blockbuster trade that brought him and sharpshooter Seth Curry to the Nets and sent All-Star shooting guard James Harden and forward Paul Milsap to the Philadelphia 76ers. Now less than a year removed from being shipped to Brooklyn, the All-Star forward could be on the move again.
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Insider: Nets Could Make More Deals Before Deadline
Following the Irving trade, it is safe to say that the superstar era in Brooklyn is officially over. The Nets were once a team loaded with an All-Star front of Irving, James Harden, and Kevin Durant. Now Durant stands as the Nets’ lone premier talent.
Even though the Nets’ current roster is not equipped for a championship run, especially in a loaded Eastern Conference, that could change before the NBA trade deadline. NBA Insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports says the Nets are among the teams who could be active leading up to February 9.
“As it relates to other teams, the Toronto Raptors as well as the Brooklyn Nets are still looking to try to make deals with the surplus of picks that they have. The Los Angeles Lakers I think will make smaller moves; I don’t see them making gargantuan moves and I still think that the 76ers will make small moves and really small moves to cut down their salary cap space — fewer names and more numbers. Those are some of the teams from folks that I’ve spoken with around the league,” Robinson said on the February 6 episode of the “Under the Hood” Podcast.
Jason Kidd Sounds off on Kyrie Irving Acquisition
The Mavericks are Irving’s third team since 2017 when he was traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics. And some believe that this could be his last shot at proving he is still worth max money.
But despite whatever past issues Irving has dealt with, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd is ready to look past that with his new star point guard. Because he believes Irving is the type of player that could be the difference between winning and losing a title.
“You look at his journey at other stops, he’s won where he’s gone,” Kidd told reporters on February 6. “We feel that the talent and his abilities to make us better are something that we needed. We feel that getting him is going to help put us in a position to win a championship.”
It will be interesting to see if Irving succeeds in his new role.
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