Kyrie Irving
While the Brooklyn Nets have declined to fulfill Kevin Durant’s trade request — at least for now — they should still be plenty motivated to find a suitable deal for Kyrie Irving.
The primary motivation for hanging onto the part-time NBA star was to appease his friend and running mate, Durant.
Now that it’s clear that he intends to depart from Brooklyn regardless of whether or not Kyrie Irving is there, the Nets no longer have any reason to retain Irving and the sideshow that comes along with him.
Moreover, Irving’s $36 million salary contract expires at the end of the 2022-2023 NBA season. Rather than allowing him to hit unrestricted free agency in which he’ll more than likely leave Brooklyn, the Nets can recuperate some of his value by trading him before the deadline.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kyrie Irving & Kevin Durant Updates
While his value has certainly taken a hit since he first signed with Brooklyn, getting anything in return for the mercurial scoring guard would be a win for the Nets at this point.
With a clear timeline to move Kyrie Irving, there’s plenty of motivation for General Manager Sean Marks to break out the Rolodex and try to find a suitable deal.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kyrie Irving & Kevin Durant Updates
Unless the the Brooklyn Nets brass truly believes that they’re capable of competing for a title next season, there’s no reason they shouldn’t deal Irving before the 2023 trade deadline.
