The final week before one of the most anticipated trade deadline days of recent years has been shaken up with a new star on the market. Kyrie Irving has officially requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets after half a season of negotiations over Irving’s contract extension.
The team couldn’t agree on an extension with Irving after making a 4-year max contract extension contingent on the Nets winning a championship this season.
Irving’s trade value isn’t as high as people would have expected. Even though he is a deserving All-Star starter and among the 5 best guards in the NBA, he has a bad history of blowing up teams following him with a 3rd disastrous ending in Brooklyn. With his expectation of a 4-year max, no team will be willing to give up multiple assets for a player with half a season left on his contract.
However, there are some teams that are desperate enough to acquire Kyrie Irving and jumpstart their title challenge this season and hope to keep him afterward. But who are these teams?
4. Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Kyrie Irving
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Terrance Mann, Luke Kennard, 2028 First-Round Pick (LAC)
The Los Angeles Clippers have been searching the trade market for a point guard for a while now. John Wall hasn’t been getting the job done for them, and Reggie Jackson has clearly been hit with regression. For a team that was already flirting around with trying to get Kyle Lowry or Fred VanVleet, pushing for Irving might be the move this era of LAC needs to finally get the championship push fulfilled.
They’ll have to give the Nets a young guard in Terrance Mann to make up value for Luke Kennard’s long-term contract, though Kennard is a solid shooter that helps them out right now. Those assets should make just giving up a single first-round pick enough to add Irving to a hopefully healthy core of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
The Nets could use these assets and streamline their core around Kevin Durant or use this as the first move of a complete rebuild. Ideally, they see the season out with KD, and adding pieces like Mann, and Kennard may be more complimentary to KD’s skill set. It’s a long shot, but it still gives the Nets a chance at making a run.
3. Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns Receive: Kyrie Irving
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Chris Paul, Cameron Johnson
The Phoenix Suns are flirting with .500 after two great seasons ended in playoff heartbreak. With a relatively stagnant core throughout these seasons, the Suns need to make a big splash. With owner Mat Ishbia taking over before the deadline is up, drafting Irving could be the statement move that he makes.
If the new owner wants to send a message that he’ll do anything to win, trading the regressing Chris Paul for a quick upgrade with Irving might be the perfect move. Irving adds incredible offensive versatility to the Suns’ lineup but has been dead in the water ever since Devin Booker went out with an injury. The team has already stuttered while trying to extend Cameron Johnson, so adding a player of his caliber will help them offset having to give up a draft asset.
The Nets will hope CP3’s leadership does something for their franchise, as it has been through internal turmoil for the last 3 seasons. His playmaking and stability might be what KD needs next to him, even if production is lost. Cam Johnson is going to fit really well in the frontcourt alongside KD or even coming off the bench.
2. Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks Receive: Kyrie Irving
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith
This is the package the Nets might be most willing to accept to cut their losses on Irving. Getting a pick haul is almost impossible, so this trade is one of the only ways the Nets could actually maintain their win-now expectation from this season. The Mavericks finally get a superstar next to Luka Doncic and get to keep their pick flexibility for future trades.
The Nets have already expressed an interest in former player Dinwiddie and veteran 3-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith.
It’s believed that Brooklyn would covet former Net Spencer Dinwiddie and in-demand swingman Dorian Finney-Smith in a prospective trade with the Mavericks, while Dallas would surely insist on moving off at least one of its longer contracts (Tim Hardaway Jr. or Davis Bertans) in a theoretical Irving deal. (h/t Marc Stein Substack)
Putting these two beside KD makes perfect sense. While the Nets lose the mercurial ability of Irving, they add a solid 18-point scorer in Diwniddie to be their lead guard. He has had bright moments leading the Mavs when Doncic has been out, though it hasn’t resulted in any wins. DFS is the defensive anchor in Dallas and a locker-room leader, so adding his presence will make the Nets a more well-rounded team. He is also under contract for multiple years, so the Nets get a valuable long-term asset in him.
This is a half-measure trade for the Mavericks, as they succumb to the pressure that fans are putting on the front office to acquire a star. The front office will have natural concerns about Irving, especially if they’re giving up two valuable rotation players in a roster that’s already thin on depth for a title. But the ceiling of a Luka-Irving backcourt is extremely high and would appease the worries of the franchise for the remainder of this season.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Kyrie Irving
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Russell Westbrook, 2027 First-Round Pick (LAL), 2029 First-Round Pick (LAL)
When all else fails, a star-level player will end up going to the Los Angeles Lakers. Irving has reportedly been waiting for a long-awaited reunion with LeBron James, and the stars lined up perfectly for the same until the Lakers traded for Rui Hachimura. With the team looking to extend the forward, one of the only teams with cap space with an avenue to contention essentially ruled themselves out of a free agent sweepstake.
Irving’s trade request could have been motivated by realizing that if he wants to be a Laker, being moved there now would be the best. The Lakers can extend him too, as he is a proven winning commodity alongside LeBron. The Nets could re-route Westbrook to a third team but will covet the two Lakers picks, as they’re arguably the most valuable draft assets available right now. Moving Westbrook on and using one of those picks to do so could net Brooklyn more complementary players from a tanking team that can just waive Russ if needed.
The Lakers become an instant title threat in the competitive West by adding Kyrie and would be an extremely exciting team on paper. The expensive contract extension will make them sweat, but it may be worth it to keep LeBron happy and maximize his current form. The Nets won’t get this draft compensation from anyone else, and given Irving’s perceived desire to become a Lakers, it seems this is where he may eventually end up anyway.
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