Recently, all the headlines were full of the name of one NBA superstar, Kyrie Irving. The Brooklyn Nets guard shocked the world a few days earlier when it was reported that he was unable to negotiate a long-term deal with the Nets.
Following that report, most fans were led to believe that Irving will not return to the Nets, no matter what happens. Well, as it turns out, after days of rumors, Kyrie decided to opt into his player option.
But that doesn’t mean that the 1x NBA champion will stay with the Nets. He can still be traded to a new destination. The fact that the Nets didn’t give Irving a long deal could be a hint that they still aren’t fully convinced of Kyrie’s dedication to the team.
There are many destinations that the 30-year-old can be traded to. Among those locations is South Beach. The Miami Heat have been linked to Irving for quite some time and many believed that they will finally get their man this offseason. But in order to trade for him, they would need to include Kyle Lowry in a trade package.
To be honest, Lowry hasn’t been at his best since joining the Heat and if he is traded, Heat fans wouldn’t mind much. However, according to a recent report by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Heat have no intentions of trading the veteran.
Via Miami Herald:
“There’s no indication that the Heat wants to move on from 36-year-old Kyle Lowry – who is very close with Jimmy Butler – but Pat Riley has said that Lowry needs to get in better shape. The Heat has assured Lowry that it has no intention of trading him for Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving, according to a source briefed on the situation. We’re told that Lowry wasn’t upset when Riley said publicly that his conditioning must improve.”
During his prime, the 36-year-old was a great player, there is no doubt about it. But since leaving the Toronto Raptors, Lowry hasn’t been a great shape.
His issues with maintaining his physique were evident in the 2022 playoffs, where he had little to no impact on the Heat’s run till the Eastern Conference Finals. So even if he is not traded right now, he needs to get in better shape and prove his worth to the Heat management.
