Hiram Moreno
After the relationship between Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets seemed completely broken, the player surprised everyone by deciding to stay with the franchise and fulfill his entire contract, as reported by Shams Sharania of The Athletic.
Irving, who had until June 29 to make a decision regarding his future, issued the following words in a statement.
Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow. I’ve made my decision to opt in. See you in the fall.
Kyrie Irving
With this, the Brooklyn Nets avoided a headache, as it became known that Kevin Durant could also leave the organization if Irving left the team.
Prior to this decision, the Nets gave Kyrie Irving the opportunity to speak with other teams to arrange his future in another organization, and while he has already been confirmed to stay in Brooklyn for the 2022/23 NBA season, the player could still leave via a trade later in the season – or before the season – if the franchise doesn’t want to be left empty-handed when his contract runs out next year.
After all, by deciding to opt in, his future now lies in the hands of the Brooklyn Nets. If so… where could Kyrie Irving possibly end up? Here, at JefeBet, we take a look at the possible teams that could make a trade with the Nets for Kyrie Irving.
Possible trades for Kyrie Irving
Los Angeles Lakers
Odds: 5/1
It is known that the Lakers were the team most interested in acquiring Kyrie Irving’s services so that the player could reunite with his old teammate, LeBron James. However, the Lakers do not have any good trade offers for the Nets.
The sensible thing to do would be to offer Russell Westbrook for a trade after the player couldn’t adapt to the team in his first season, but beyond him, there is little else the Lakers could offer that would be of interest. Los Angeles also has first-round picks for the 2027 and 2029 draft, but surely the Brooklyn Nets will want something of immediate effect in exchange for one of their stars.
New York Knicks
Odds: 10/1
Another team that showed interest in Kyrie Irving was the New York Knicks, which would see the player stay within the same city should he want to.
The Knicks have shown interest in acquiring Jalen Brunson from the Mavericks, but this will require them to lower their current payroll costs. Acquiring Irving in a trade would be very favorable as they could send a package with Evan Fournier, Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel to balance against the salary it would require to have Kyrie Irving.
Miami Heat
Odds: 30/1
The Miami Heat have had great seasons recently and the team wants to win now; in this way, the acquisition of Kyrie Irving could help fulfill those ambitions.
It is possible that the Heat acquire Irving in a trade for Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro and a minimum salary contract, as this would match the player’s salary and also leave them well under the salary cap to continue to improve the roster.
Miami is hoping to re-sign PJ Tucker, which they could do with their remaining cap space before going over the cap, and they could continue to fill roster space with other minimum-wage contracts.
Dallas Mavericks
Odds: 35/1
The Mavericks are another team that could add Kyrie Irving to their roster to go along with Luka Dončić, and this could be enough to make the team a contender to go far in a postseason.
The franchise could send Spencer Dinwiddie, Tim Hardaway Jr, Davis Bertans and Dwight Powell in a trade to match Kyrie Irving’s salary, and they could even implement a sign and trade with Jalen Brunson to send him to Brooklyn. Dallas also have first-round picks for the 2025, 2027 and 2029 Draft to make their offer more attractive.
