Kyrie Irving latest + more trade talk
We have additional details on the Kyrie contract stalemate in Brooklyn and further updates on the Knicks' pursuit of Jalen Brunson, P.J. Tucker and more in our latest around-the-league notebook
Back in March, weeks before the Brooklyn Nets would absorb a humbling first-round sweep against the Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving made an unforgettable pronouncement about his determination to keep playing alongside Kevin Durant.
“For me, it has always been about being comfortable, loving where I’m at, and I love it here,” Irving said then. “Once that summertime hits, I know that we’ll have some conversations, but there’s no way I can leave my man 7 anywhere.”
Seven is Durant’s uniform number. The reference was immediately clear.
Only now, some three months removed from that public pledge, Irving does appear to be at least exploring ways to relocate this offseason … with the Nets reluctant to commit a long-term deal to the 30-year-old who has appeared in only 103 of 226 possible regular-season games in his three seasons in Brooklyn. Given that Irving’s availability has been limited not only by injuries but also by requested time away from the team and a refusal to make himself eligible for games in New York City by getting the COVID-19 vaccine, Brooklyn has obvious incentive to keep the contract shorter and/or push for games-played clauses to be included.
When The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Monday that contract extension talks between Irving and Nets management have snagged, it was widely dismissed as a strategically leaked story aimed at improving Irving’s leverage. I don’t think it had much impact there if that was truly the intent, but I also struggle mightily to imagine a scenario in which Irving actually leaves 7 and their Nets, since merely accepting next season’s player option by the June 29 deadline next week would assure him $36.9 million. The expectation persists leaguewide that the Nets will hash out some sort of new deal with Irving — ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski floated the prospect of a two-year, $84 million pact Wednesday — most crucially to ensure that they don’t alienate Durant.
The Nets also haven’t forgotten that they nearly beat Milwaukee in the second round of the 2021 playoffs despite James Harden playing only 43 seconds in the first four games and Irving sitting out half the series with an ankle injury. After those Bucks went on to win the championship, Brooklyn undoubtedly believes — despite all the tumult it endured this season — that the swiftest path back to title contention is getting (and keeping) Irving and newly acquired Ben Simmons on the court consistently to flank Durant.
Yet the latest chapter from Irving’s roller-coaster Nets tenure has nonetheless generated a few dribbles of interesting chatter worth noting … just in case these talks deteriorate further. Tidbits that have blipped onto my radar this week:
🏀 There are credible rumblings in circulation …
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Some more around-the-league notes:
🏀 The Knicks absorbed a blow in their efforts to create the needed cap space for the Brunson chase when it emerged that Alec Burks is out until the start of next season at the earliest after undergoing a recent foot surgery. (Burks, who turns 31 next month, played in 81 games this season for the Knicks, but this was his fifth lower extremity surgery since 2015 according to Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes.) Starting with the contracts possessed by Burks, Nerlens Noel and Kemba Walker, New York has been trying to shed salary to fund the run at Brunson. League sources, however, did reiterate Wednesday …
This is an excerpt from my latest NBA column. To read it all and receive full access to all of my work, please click the link or the orange button to subscribe.