Kyrie Irving is one of the best players in the league, and usually, we see him make headlines for his performances on the court. But recently, Kyrie Irving has been in the news due to concerns about his availability, as local COVID-19 laws could prevent him from participating in 41 home games for the Brooklyn Nets.
There have been a lot of solutions provided by various fans, analysts, and former players on how to deal with Kyrie Irving. One solution could potentially be trading the electric guard, and Shaquille O’Neal notably stated that the Brooklyn Nets would have to trade Kyrie Irving in this situation, and missing a starter for 41 games would certainly be difficult for any team, even one that has James Harden and Kevin Durant on the roster.
Any potential trade for Kyrie Irving would be easier said than done. NBA Insider Marc Stein has recently reported that the point guard would retire or “deeply ponder it” if he were traded from Brooklyn. That is not necessarily a risk that other franchises would want to take. The context for the quote comes from a potential Ben Simmons-Kyrie Irving swap that has been making the rounds on social media.
There is no indication yet- that the 76ers have an interest in exploring the Simmons-for Kyrie Irving trade being thrown around as the natural “solution” for two Atlantic Division teams facing major headaches to start the season. Reason being: It is not at all the obvious solution it would appear to be on paper. There is a belief in some corners of the league that Irving would retire, or at least deeply ponder it, if Brooklyn suddenly traded him. The 29-year-old is also a challenge to manage in the best of times and can become a free agent as soon as next summer if he declines his lucrative player option for the 2022-23 season. Forget how tantalizing it is to imagine Brooklyn adding Simmons’ playmaking and defense. Does any of this sound like a palatable solution for Philly?
Ben Simmons is a player who has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism, but he’s certainly a good player and a DPOY candidate. However, it seems as though him getting traded to the Brooklyn Nets isn’t good from the 76ers’ end, as Marc Stein mentions that Kyrie Irving can simply decline his player option for the 2022-23 season, and become a free agent after 2021-22. That would mean that the 76ers would be giving up Ben Simmons for only a year of Irving.
We’ll see how the Brooklyn Nets will handle the situation soon enough. They can still compete with a James Harden and Kevin Durant duo, though losing Kyrie Irving means losing a huge portion of their firepower and their offense. Hopefully, there will be a resolution to this situation before the start of the regular season, and the Nets will certainly hope that Kyrie Irving becomes available.
