It was always going to end this way. The Brooklyn Nets have given star point guard Kyrie Irving permission to seek a sign-and-trade deal out of town, reports Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. While momentum has been building in this direction ever since it became apparent that the Nets were unwilling to commit to a new long-term deal for Irving, this latest news all but makes it official that Irving will be playing in a different uniform next season — and consequently, so too might Kevin Duran t.
Irving's tenure in Brooklyn has often been turbulent, to say the least. The Nets were often forced to operate without him due to a variety of off-the-court issues, but Irving's sheer level of talent forced the team to entertain his instability to a certain degree. Irving's presence was also what helped lure Durant to Brooklyn, and the Nets had hoped to charge to an NBA title with the two superstars at the helm.'
Those hopes never materialized. Nets owner Joe Tsai is by all accounts unwilling to tie himself to Irving moving forward, and Irving now reportedly has six teams he'd be interested in joining: the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Dallas Mavericks. Of those six teams, the Clippers currently boast the best odds of winning the 2023 NBA title at Caesars Sportsbook at +750.'
A reunion with LeBron James in a Lakers uniform has long been rumored for Irv ing, but any move there would surely necessitate the offloading of Russell Westbrook — a player one imagines the Nets would be unenthusiastic about adding. A crosstown move to the Knicks would certainly be intriguing, but New York seems focused on adding free agent guard Jalen Brunson, especially after they hired Brunson's father and all but punted on the first round of the NBA draft to create room for him. The Sixers feel like trouble waiting to happen, given that James Harden maneuvered a midseason trade to Philadelphia, by all accounts to get away from Irving.'