Getty LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant at the 2018 All-Star Game.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has been in trade talks since the opening of NBA free agency. One team that has constantly been connected to him is the Los Angeles Lakers. NBA Insider Chris B. Haynes of “Yahoo Sports” recently reported that the Nets and Lakers had preliminary discussions on a trade that would send Irving to the Lakers and Russell Westbrook to the Nets.
However, during an appearance on Mad Dog Radio on July 4, NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports said that Irving being reunited with James is more of a desire of the Lakers than it is for the Nets’ star.
“I’ve heard that is more of a Lakers manufactured, I guess document if you will. That it is more of the Lakers wishlist than it is Kyrie’s at this present time,” Robinson said on Mad Dog Radio.
During an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show,” on July 5, Shams Charania of “The Athletic” shared a similar update on a potential Kyrie and LeBron James Lakers reunion.
“There’s no traction on any type of a Lakers deal for Kyrie Irving & I’m not sure we’re gonna see that take place,” Charania said.
“There’s no traction on any type of a Lakers deal for Kyrie Irving & I’m not sure we’re gonna see that take place” ~@ShamsCharania
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Durant & Irving Are ‘Annoyed’ With the Nets
When Kevin Durant and Kyrie joined the Nets during 2019 free agency, many were surprised by the move. Not only because Durant was leaving the Golden State Warriors after three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals. But also because most assumed if Durant was going to come to New York, it would be to join the Knicks, who are the darlings of the city.
Robinson notes that it was Irving who convinced Durant to join the Nets. And how the front office has handled his contract situation despite the fact has left both superstars feeling uneasy.
“Just in conversation with people who know best, I will tell you that they were pretty annoyed with the Nets and just how things were handled, whether it was opt-in, opt-out and all of the things considered,” Robinson added.
“And there are some people that are very disgruntled with how they’ve handled him specifically because he is the person who really got Kevin Durant to join the Brooklyn Nets with him, a guy from West Orange, New Jersey, a stone’s throw from Manhattan, not too far from Brooklyn.”
Departure of Key Coaches Left KD & Kyrie With Sour Feelings
The Nets have already lost some key players during this offseason as contributors such as Andre Drummond and Bruce Brown have signed elsewhere.
But players are not the only part of the Nets roster shakeup this offseason. Key coaches from last season have also been let go, including Eli Carter and Adam Harrington, who were major fixtures on Steve Nash’s staff. Robinson says that the departures of those two coaches have left the Nets stars feeling disgruntled.
“I know that someone who is tied to Eli Carter, a guy that knows Kyrie well, was let go because of the whole vaccination portion of it. And then I’m told [he] was promised that he could resume his assistant coaching situation, once the mandates were what they were in New York City. No such dice,” Robinson added.
“In addition to that Kevin Durant’s shooting coach Adam Harrington was let go from the Brooklyn Nets. And I know that those two gentlemen are upset about how that was handled.”
One thing that has remained constant is that the Nets are not going to move in haste when it comes to making a deal for either one of their franchise players. This could be a situation that bleeds into training camp and possibly the regular season.
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