The clock is ticking for All-Star Kyrie Irving to decide on his future with the Brooklyn Nets. He has until June 29 to opt into the final year of his Nets deal or opt-out and become a free agent. On June 23, ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that Irving gave Brooklyn a list of his preferred destinations if they decide to execute a sign and trade. That list includes the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat.
Kyrie is days away from hitting the open market, which means trade proposal season is upon us. FS1 analyst Chris Broussard suggested a trade that sends Kyrie and Nets All-Star Ben Simmons to South Beach to join the Heat and All-Stars Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler to the Brooklyn Nets.
Trade proposal idea from Chris Broussard:
Miami – Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons
Nets – Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo
(h/t @_Talkin_NBA)
The latest Nets news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Nets newsletter here!
Heat ‘Believed to Have Interest’ in Kyrie
Irving’s looming decision has caught the attention of every team in the league. Despite the apparent baggage that he comes with, so does an amass of talent on the court. Before Wojnarowski reported Irving listing the Heat as a preferred destination, NBA Insider Marc Stein reported that Miami had their eye on the Nets star in a potential trade. So, the interest could be mutual.
“Miami is believed to have some level of interest in joining the chase for Irving — should the Nets reach the point of actively trying to trade him — and would figure to be a more legitimate landing spot than the teams initially mentioned given the Heat’s various trade assets,” Stein writes via his Substack account.
“While it certainly ranks as another strain on the imagination to try to picture Irving finding daily comfort in Pat Riley’s rigid South Beach operation, it’s likewise true that the heat have never shied away from the starriest of stars or personalities painted as challenging.”
Nets to Target Ex-Heat Forward in Free Agency
This top priority for the Nets this offseason has become re-signing Irving on a deal that benefits both parties. However, the defense should also be emphasized by Nets general manager Sean Marks and company if they hope to be title contenders. Kristian Winfield of the “New York Daily News” says that lockdown defender PJ Tucker is on Brooklyn’s list of free agency targets.
“The Nets are one of a number of playoff and championship contenders with a tangible interest in veteran free agent forward P.J. Tucker, multiple sources told the Daily News. Tucker became an unrestricted free agent after declining his $7 million player option with the Miami Heat earlier this week,” Winfield writes per the “New York Daily News”.
“He is great friends – “brothers,” in his words – with Nets star Kevin Durant, and adding a player of Tucker’s ilk would provide a much-needed toughness and frontcourt floor spacing to a Nets team lacking both. Playing with his good friend, Durant, however, would be the draw in Brooklyn, as would joining a team positioned as a perennial contender knocking on the door of an NBA championship with every year, they surround Durant with the requisite level of star power needed to compete for a title.”
The Nets are just days away from possibly the most important free agency period in the history of the franchise. It will be interesting to see what the outcome is.
READ NEXT: Kevin Durant Breaks Silence on Kyrie Irving Potential Nets Exit
Comments
Wild Trade Proposal Flips Nets Kyrie Irving for Two All-Stars