Kyrie Irving is no stranger to having problems with NBA front offices. With a past consisting of him forcing his way out of Cleveland and being booed out of Boston, Irving found a home with the Nets. Everything was fine until Irving started to sit out due to injuries and personal reasons. After three years with Brooklyn, Irving has only seen the floor for 103 games.
All this mixed with a lack of communication has severely hindered the relationship between Irving and the Nets. This has caused an impasse between Irving and the front office. With a lot of uncertainty for the Nets’ future, Irving may be hesitant to accept his $36.9 million player option for next year. After trading James Harden and getting swept in the first round this year, Brooklyn may look to move Irving to gain assets to pair alongside Kevin Durant. With the Nets’ championship window closing more every day here are some trades to reopen it.
Realistic Kyrie Irving Trade Destinations
New York Knicks
The Trade: Nerlens Noel, Evan Fournier, Immanuel Quickly, and the No. 11 pick for Kyrie Irving
The New York Knicks have been in the market for a true star ever since the absence of Carmelo Anthony. Despite Irving’s locker room problems, he’s still a great player scoring 60 points this last season. The Knicks had a down year this last year but still hold onto the memory of their playoff success the year prior. Pairing Irving alongside Julius Randle and RJ Barrett could bring New York back into the playoffs. With such a big market team desperate for relevancy, Irving seems like the perfect acquisition.
Brooklyn this last season had two main problems. This was their shooting and their defense. This trade helps both of these problems. Noel’s presence down low bolsters a defense that outside of Nicolas Claxton was lackluster in the paint. He also could be a potential replacement for Claxton and Andre Drummond who are both free agents. Fournier helps the shooting of Brooklyn, as he shot 39% from three this last season. Quickly helps both as he shot 35% from three while also showing serious potential on the other side of the ball. Adding this with a pick as a future asset would give Brooklyn some serious depth they’ve been lacking.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Trade: Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk sign-and-trade, and two future second-round picks for Kyrie Irving
This is a really weird trade for both sides. This would bring back the duo of Westbrook and Durant as well as the duo of James and Irving. There are reports that one of Irving’s favorite destinations is the Los Angeles Lakers. With time to mature, Irving may embrace the role of being the second option behind James out in LA. The trio of James, Irving, and Anthony Davis would be the best trio in the league by far. With James aging, this would be a final win-now move.
Brooklyn could use a playmaker like Westbrook in order to see success. The past couple of seasons have involved very scoring-heavy guards such as Harden and Irving handling the ball. A player like Westbrook would allow for other players to get involved in a non-iso play style. Monk also shined in LA shooting 39% from three on nearly six attempts a game. This would take a lot of pressure off of Durant who was forced into a point forward role where he was often double-teamed.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Trade: Norman Powell, Terance Mann, Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson, and two future second-round picks for Kyrie Irving
The Clippers have been looking for a point guard after they added both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Irving as a primary ball-handler would do wonders for this Clippers team. He can bolster a stagnant offense and doesn’t need to worry about his lack of defense. This trio would be the best in the league by far. They lose the depth that carried them into the playoffs this year but if this team can stay healthy they’d be the clear-cut finals favorite. They also would still have some depth with players such as Robert Covington and Ivica Zubac staying on their roster.
For the Nets they get four brand new role players to pair alongside Durant. Offensively all of these players are gifted. Morris has the size and shows he can hit consistent shots when needed. Powell can average 20 points per game on amazing efficiency in the right setting. Jackson can play make for Brooklyn when need be as he was the main point guard in Los Angeles for years. Terance Mann is also still a somewhat young player who has shown potential on both sides of the ball. All these players take pressure off Durant offensively as they can all create their own shots.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Trade: Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, and a future second-round pick for Kyrie Irving
Milwaukee really showed they don’t have a go-to perimeter threat once Khris Middleton went down with an injury. No real players on Milwaukee can create their own shot effectively, but Irving would change that. His ability to score would take lots of pressure off of Giannis Antetokounmpo. He also has the playmaking ability to lob it up to Giannis when need be. Although Irving doesn’t have the defensive skill of Holiday, the offense more than makes up for it. Also, Giannis is such a presence down low that he can make up for any defensive mistakes Irving has.
Brooklyn would also massively benefit from this deal. They have the offense but Holiday’s defense would allow them to shut down any guard opposing them. As an All-NBA defensive selection, Holiday has the defensive skill and I.Q. to impact the team at his position. Holiday also focuses a lot more on the playmaking aspect which would get the role players more involved. Allen also adds some nice three-point shooting that this team desperately needs.
