Does this trade make sense for the Brooklyn Nets?
In reality, this really is not a terrible trade for Brooklyn. You may say that D’Angelo Russell is injury-prone and not close to the talent-level of Kyrie Irving and you are right, but Irving is doing the Nets no good if he is just sitting on his couch watching the Nets play instead of being on the court with them.
He does not want to get vaccinated and that is his choice at the end of the day, but his choice does have consequences and those are that he cannot play with Brooklyn for the foreseeable future. The Nets are looking to win a championship this year and in order to do so, they need to field the best team possible.
Essentially, they would be adding D’Angelo Russell to their current team at no loss to what they have been dealing with on their roster this season, instantly making the Brooklyn Nets a better team than they are right now.
Both the production of Kevin Durant and James Harden would likely go down slightly due to Russell being there now, but we are talking about a guy who can take more of the scoring load off of Durant’s back, as well as take a lot of the stress from facilitating and being the primary ball-handler off the back of Harden.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Nets Willing To Listen To Kyrie Irving Trade Offers — Full Details
On the year, D’Angelo Russell is averaging 19.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists and is shooting 38.2% from the floor, 32.3% from three-point range. His numbers have gone down slightly compared to what they used to be due to some injuries, but he is still a high-level talent that can help this team compete for a championship.
The question the Nets really need to ask themselves is not whether or not they can win with Kyrie out right now, but more of what their future with Kyrie Irving is at the moment given the policies in New York City.
The city is not changing their vaccine restrictions anytime soon and seeing as he has that player option for next season, the best scenario for this team to try and win a championship may very well be to trade Kyrie Irving for a guy like D’Angelo Russell.
They would be taking a hit in value and downgrading in talent, but the fact of the matter is that Irving is not on the court right now, so he is doing just as good for this team as you and me at home!
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Nets Willing To Listen To Kyrie Irving Trade Offers — Full Details
It is not a matter of whether or not this trade makes sense for the Nets, it is more of if they believe Irving will ever play for them again. If the answer is no, then they might as well trade him ahead of the deadline this season.
