6 NBA Teams That Could Trade For Kyrie Irving

Just when you thought the Brooklyn Nets were trending in the right direction,  the drama reared its ugly head once again. From the trade requests to the off the court issues, the Nets have seemed to always be in the headlines for the wrong reasons. All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving reignited that narrative when he shockingly requested a trade from the franchise on Friday afternoon. 

Irving, who was recently named a starter for the All-Star game, has put together a terrific season helping the Nets hold the fourth spot in the East halfway through the season. Kyrie, who’s in the final year of his contract, reportedly couldn’t come to an agreement with the Nets on an extension, prompting him to request out of Brooklyn. 

The Nets will now have a week to field offers and decided whether they want to grant Irving, who has stated his departure is imminent, his wish. Despite the drama Kyrie has brought to the Nets, there’s no questioning his talent on the court. Several teams have reportedly already shown interest in trading for the eight-time All-Star. Could we see reunion between LeBron and Kyrie in LA? Will Luka finally get a true star next to him for the postseason? Will the Miami Heat become the biggest threat to the Boston Celtics? 

Here are six teams that could trade for Kyrie Irving. 

It’s not a secret that the Lakers have been a preferred destination for Kyrie Irving for a year now. It’s certainly going to take the Lakers a lot more than Russell Westbrook to make the deal happen. They’ll have to give up their first round picks to make the Nets even consider and maybe a third team could come into play to take on Russell Westbrook’s contract. The Lakers are reportedly one of the teams that are ready to engage in a trade for Kyrie. Kyrie would put the Lakers back into the conversation as a postseason threat. That all of course still relies on the health of Anthony Davis. 

While the Mavericks’ collection of trade assets are scarce to add up to the value of a player like Kyrie Irving, they’re the second team that will reportedly be engaged in trade talks for the Nets All-Star and they will be certainly willing to pay him to keep him long term in Dallas. The Mavericks have long been in search of an All-Star to place next to Luka and while Kyrie may not put them at the top of the West, he certainly makes them a tough out in the playoffs for any team. 

According to Shams Charania, the Suns are third team that have already thrown their hat in the ring for Kyrie Irving. The Suns look ready to move on from Chris Paul and while that may not result in a one-for-one swap with Brooklyn, a Kyrie trade means that a Chris Paul move will follow. Ironically, Phoenix was one of the preferred destinations for Kevin Durant last summer so Suns general manager James Jones finds himself targeting another Brooklyn Nets star. If Kyrie is willing to commit to Phoenix long-term and vice versa, this deal could include Deandre Ayton or Mikal Bridges as the centerpiece of the deal. A duo of Devin Booker and Kyrie would certainly be box office.