On paper, Kyrie Irving is a guy that every team should be coveting. A 7x All-Star, 3x All-NBA player, and 1x NBA Champion, he’s an accomplished veteran with unprecedented offensive gifts.
But when it comes to Uncle Drew, it’s his issues off the court that have made him virtually untradeable.
About as inconsistent and unreliable as they come, Irving seems to always find new ways to not show up for his team. This time, his refusal to get the vaccine (apparently in order to make a point) has essentially disqualified him for the upcoming season.
The current situation has many wondering if the Nets might consider just trading him, and Philadelphia seems like an easy destination.
There, Ben Simmons has created a mess of things in his attempt to force his way out. With Simmons in Brooklyn and Irving in Philly, it seems like a logical and instant “fix” for both sides.
Unfortunately, however, the Sixers don’t seem too keen on the idea of bringing in Kai.
One thing is for sure — at least for now. While an Irving trade for Ben Simmons with Philadelphia is seen by some as an easy solution to both teams’ problems, sources with knowledge of the 76ers’ view said there is no interest in Irving at the moment. From management on down, it seems there is an unsurprising level of skepticism about that pairing working out any better than the Joel Embiid-Simmons duo that is zombified at the moment.
The Sixers have no interest in trading for Kyrie Irving at the moment, per @sam_amick.
An Irving for Ben Simmons trade is seen by some as an easy solution to both teams’ problems. https://t.co/q9Xb8AdTEn
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 12, 2021
Beggars can’t be choosers, so it’s really surprising that the Sixers aren’t even considering a trade for Irving at this time, who is, in the eyes of most, a much better player than Simmons.
Still, it speaks to how the rest of the league sees him: as an unpredictable train wreck who probably isn’t worth the effort.
We’ll see if the situation changes over the next few months.
