Suns, Lakers, Mavs May All Make Run at Nets’ Kyrie Irving

While the Lakers are among the teams expected to engage the Nets in trade talks involving Kyrie Irving, as we relayed here, they are not alone.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Suns and Mavericks also have an interest in Irving, who stunned the NBA by requesting a trade ahead of Thursday’s deadline. Per reports, Irving has told the Nets that he intends to leave in free agency at the end of the season if he’s not traded before Thursday.

Irving was having talks on a contract extension, but those talks stalled when the Nets wanted to put stipulations on some of the guarantees in the deal, Charania reported.

Meanwhile, the Lakers have been active on the trade market before the news of Irving broke, and are said to be a serious player in trying to land Irving. This would be their second attempt to do so, as they elbowed their way into some drama involving Irving and the Nets over the summer.

But again, the Lakers are not alone.

The Suns also have pieces and are viewed as a team “capable of facilitating a deal” that would keep both themselves and Brooklyn in “championship pursuit,” wrote Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

As for the Mavericks, Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported there was previous interest in Irving — and likely will be some again. The Mavs are seeking a “co-star” alongside guard Luka Doncic, and Irving has previous relationships with Mavs GM Nico Harrison and coach Jason Kidd.

All of this boils down to a couple of things:

1. Whether Irving is serious about wanting a trade, or if his request is a negotiation tactic, a la fellow Nets star Kevin Durant over the summer.

2. What those in pursuit of Irving have to offer. The difference between Irving and Durant, sources told Hoops Wire, is that the Nets actually wanted to keep Durant. The same cannot be said about Irving, sources added.