Recently, Stephen A. Smith made some headlines when discussing the situation with the Philadelphia 76ers and NBA All-Star Ben Simmons. Everyone knows by this point that Simmons wants out of Philly and is trying to figure out where he may end up next.
There have been numerous teams connected to him, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Sacramento Kings sounding the likeliest of landing spots. But, Smith gave some insight on another team; the Brooklyn Nets.
According to Smith, the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets would have a trade done in a heartbeat that involved Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons. Smith said that a deal won’t happen between the teams because Kevin Durant won’t allow Irving to be traded away.
While no trade is imminent between the 76ers and Nets centered around Irving, it did get some people talking. How much value does Irving have around the NBA? It is not as much as you would think.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: 3 Teams Who Should Monitor Kyrie Irving Trade
On Tuesday’s podcast of The Crossover with Howard Beck and Chris Mannix, they discussed the potential for an Irving trade. It was shared that a couple of NBA teams expressed that they believe Irving’s trade market would be “virtually zero” should he be made available.
That may surprise a lot of fans, as social media believes Irving is one of the best players in the league. But, there is a lot that goes into the trade value of a player and he has a lot of red flags.
His pause last season when he was maskless at a party certainly rubbed some people the wrong way. His stance on the vaccine will also cause a divide.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: 3 Teams Who Should Monitor Kyrie Irving Trade
He isn’t the only unvaccinated player in the NBA, but playing for the Nets and being unvaccinated means he cannot play in home games and would forfeit his salary for all games at Barclays Center. It is a similar situation to what the Golden State Warriors are dealing with in regards to Andrew Wiggins.
Irving has also struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons. When you combine all of that, there is a lot of risk in trading for him. It is a risk that it sounds like most teams are not willing to take.
