Kyrie Irving is the name on everyone’s lips for the rest of June after it was reported that he might opt out of his $36 million player option to become a free agent. This allows a variety of contenders to make offers for him, even though they will be offering Irving the Mid-Level Exception.
Irving has reportedly created a list of teams he would be willing to join. That list includes all contending teams around the league in both conferences. It features the two Los Angeles teams, the Lakers and Clippers. It features Eastern Conference teams like Brooklyn’s rivals in the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers.
The most interesting destination Irving is reportedly interested in is Dallas. The Mavericks have a generational talent in Luka Doncic that would form an offensively lethal backcourt with Kyrie Irving. However, NBA analyst and Doncic fan, Nick Wright hopes that Irving and Doncic don’t team up so that Luka can continue being a dominant force on the Mavs.
"The Lakers don't have the picks or players to make a trade for Kyrie. … The 76ers make very little sense to me. The Mavs, I want him nowhere near my large adult Slovenian son Luka. The Heat are the only team on this list that makes real sense for a trade." — @getnickwright pic.twitter.com/qmwdPwKyGp
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) June 24, 2022
“I want him nowhere near my large adult Slovenian son. Kyrie is a brilliant basketball player when he plays, but Luka needs to be doing his own thing on his own team.”
Wright broke down all likely destinations for Kyrie and decided that the Miami Heat may have the best fit alongside Irving. As long as the requirement is to trade Kyrie away, the Nets will control the narrative and send him to whatever team gives them the best package rather than pick a destination Irving has pre-approved.
The Mavericks wouldn’t be able to re-sign Jalen Brunson if they were looking to move towards Irving. The team is already capped out with extensions to Luka and Dorian Finney-Smith kicking in, so Irving will not be a Mav if he needs to maintain his $36 million salary for next season.
