With the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks having been eliminated in the Conference Semifinals, some are already calling for the team to make changes in order to get back to the NBA Finals next season. NBA analyst Ben Stinar had an interesting trade proposition that got Twitter buzzing, as he suggested that perhaps they could make a move for Kyrie Irving in exchange for either Jrue Holiday or Khris Middleton.
Stinar states that the salaries do match in both cases and the Nets have been non-committal when it comes to Kyrie’s future with the team. His off-the-court antics have unsurprisingly caused tensions behind the scenes with ex-coach Amar’e Stoudemire speaking out on it as well.
The Bucks should trade *either* Khris Middleton or Jrue Holiday to the Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving.
Middleton for Irving
Salaries work
Holiday for Irving
Salaries work
Who says no?
— Ben Stinar (@BenStinar) May 15, 2022
While neither Holiday nor Middleton provides the firepower on offense like Kyrie, they are significant upgrades on defense and Middleton is someone who consistently averages over 20 points per game. They don’t come with any of the baggage that Irving does either, and will help reset their culture.
As for the Bucks, they might be hesitant about blowing it up just one year after winning the championship, but they have shown interest in Kyrie in the past. Back in 2017, they proposed a trade deal that would have sent Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon to the Cavaliers in exchange for Irving.
Kyrie provides the Bucks with someone who can generate their own offense, something that was a big issue in the series against the Celtics with Middleton being absent. Giannis Antetokounmpo had to carry the load on offense as Holiday really struggled with efficiency when he was tasked with being the second option. Kyrie would give them some insurance in case of an injury if swapped for Holiday and his lack of defense shouldn’t be that big of a concern on a team that has a plethora of good defenders. Here is what some fans had to say about this potential trade.
Both are more productive than Irving
Why would the Bucks ever do this?
— Jordan Love-Edwards-Buxton🧀 (@NAZREIDxBrodie0) May 15, 2022
God awful trades for the Nets. Irving younger then both and more productive than both. Y’all sleeping on Skyrim
— Frank Gallagher (@iKnowSports10) May 16, 2022
https://twitter.com/fatchildcookie/status/1525972667089797122https://twitter.com/Jakkeeeup2/status/1525966101389012998
That’s a great call. I would personally like to see Middleton for Kyrie. I think it helps both teams and pairing Kyrie with Holliday in the backcourt is a great fit, ideal to hide him defensively alongside a stopper
— brett niemand (@brettniems) May 15, 2022
The Bucks should do no such thing.
Imagine that. Lose partially because Middleton is hurt and trade him for Kyrie who has missed half of his career. SMH…
— Jamar Lewis (@JLewis562) May 15, 2022
Trading Holiday seems better, but that's losing a valuable defensive piece for a better scoring power.
— 我是现象 (@LawalObashola) May 15, 2022
Insane idea, Gianni’s and Middleton are as good a match as you can get.
— NBA King (@nbaking44) May 16, 2022
https://twitter.com/LottaHubris/status/1525973465165139972
Give us both holiday and middleton
— Slim Reapa (@bucacthao) May 16, 2022
Ultimately, this Kyrie saga is going to drag on through the offseason and we shouldn’t be surprised if a lot of trade rumors start circulating in the coming weeks. This one, in particular, might be worth considering, but it seems unlikely that these two contenders would want to strike a deal with each other.
