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The NBA Trade Deadline is under a week away and the Miami Heat are amongst the favorites to land the newest top prize, Kyrie Irving. Multiple reports that Irving had requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets first surfaced on Friday afternoon.
Odds about where Irving would play basketball next were released shortly after the news broke on February 3. The Heat were surprisingly amongst the favorites to acquire the Nets star.
According to BetOnline, Miami has 3 to 1 odds to land Irving, making them the second most-likely team to pull off a deal. The Heat only trail the Los Angeles Lakers , who are the favorites, in the race for the former No. 1 overall pick, with 2 to 1 odds.
Irving’s time in Brooklyn hasn’t met the expectations that were set by many, when he joined back in 2019. He and co-star Kevin Durant, never even managed to get past the second round in the playoffs, after the Nets were labeled an Eastern Conference juggernaut.
Durant missed the duo’s entire first season together as he recovered from an Achilles injury in 2020, the Nets fell to the eventual NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, and then got swept by Irving’s old team, the Boston Celtics in 2022.
Ironically, it was the Celtics, who absolutely destroyed the Nets, in what could end up being Irving’s final game with the franchise. Brooklyn lost the February 1 matchup at TD Garden by 43 points.
The 30-year-old has appeared in 40 of Brooklyn’s 51 games this season. He’s averaged 27.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.1 rebounds, while shooting 48.6% from the field, and 37.4% from deep.
Irving was voted as an All-Star starter this year, alongside Durant, his Nets teammate (for now).
Heat Listed as Potential Landing Sport for Kyrie Irving: Report
As the day rolled on, more and more reports surrounding the situation came to light, after the initial news broke.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst listed Miami amongst teams that could make a move for Irving.
“The trade there would be Kyle Lowry, would be my guess. Again, the issue there, I’m not sure the Nets are crazy about taking on the $30 million on Kyle Lowry’s contract,” Windhorst said live on ESPN.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnorowski reported that Irving did not give the Nets a list of preferred destinations, but he has “maintained an interest” in the Lakers.
A trade to L.A. would see Irving reunited with his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate LeBron James.
Heat Fans Excited About Potential Kyrie Irving Trade
Of course, just like any other time a star player requests a trade, fans took to Twitter to discuss the possibility of their team trading for Irving.
Heat fans were no different.
Heat Nation, a fan-run Twitter account, tweeted, “There’s off the court stuff with Kyrie Irving…but basketball-wise, the Heat NEED a player like him. Plus Irving was interested in Miami before…”
Other Heat supporters swarmed to the initial tweet to chime in on the conversation.
“Rico” (@johnny_roro24) said, “If the Heat could trade for Kyrie that would be a match made in Heaven.”
“The Loungin’ Lawyer” (@RoccTheMike) shared his excitement, “This really is a best case scenario. Pat (Riley) would be outbidding one team (the Lakers), two teams max (Clippers though they’ve never been rumored), and should still have the assets left to acquire the stretch four Miami covets. L.A. has also been extremely stingy with the first-round picks. Do the deal!”
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