Kyrie Irving May Not Have Many Suitors If Nets Made Him Available

Star point guard Kyrie Irving has said he intends to re-sign with the Nets this offseason, and keeping Irving is likely a no-brainer for the Nets.

But if they did decide to explore what they could get in return for Irving, they may not have much success, per Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.

Let’s start with why the Nets may even consider the idea of an Irving trade. Per O’Connor, there is actually a lot to think about.

“(Kevin Durant) had to play nearly 40 minutes every night, for months, to lead Brooklyn to a play-in spot in part due to Irving’s lack of availability,” O’Connor wrote. “Can KD fully trust Irving to be there when he needs him the most in the future?

“All of this is worth considering, including the complexities of Irving’s moody nature. It’s been three straight tense seasons in Brooklyn, just like it was for two years in Boston, and during Irving’s final season with Cleveland, when he went days without speaking to LeBron James.”

The Nets were swept from the first round of the playoffs by the Celtics, and O’Connor surmised keeping Irving may actually hurt Durant’s odds of winning another title.

“Durant should at least consider pushing the Nets front office to consider alternatives before handing over an extension (to Irving),” O’Connor wrote.

Should the Nets go down that road, again, it may not be so easy to find a taker. Irving seemingly is viewed as a bit high-maintenance around the league. He has a player option on his deal this summer, making him eligible for an extension.

“It’s difficult to find even theoretical situations because so few teams are desperate to acquire a 30-year-old headache about to demand $50 million annually,” O’Connor wrote. “It has the potential to one day turn into the NBA’s worst contract.”