After failing to negotiate the terms of a long-term contract extension with the organization, brooklyn network star Kyrie Irving made a transaction request, sources told ESPN on Friday.
Irving, who will become a free agent this summer, wants to leave before the NBA trade deadline on Thursday. The Los Angeles Lakers and phoenix sun expressed interest in discussing the Irving transaction and Dallas Mavericks is expected to do so soon, sources told ESPN.
Irving did not provide a list of preferred teams, but his market is small and it is clear that he hopes that a team will trade for him with the intention of signing a contract extension with him during the season.
Nets and Irving agent Shetellia Riley-Irving recently discussed an extension, but Brooklyn is still reluctant to plunge into a long-term commitment without further evidence that Irving can remain trustworthy , works at a high level and is not controversial. speak. Rival teams expect the Nets to prepare for the possibility of a leveraged transaction claim on Irving’s contract negotiations, and that could affect how the organization moves in relation to possible transactions. yes of Irving.
Irving, who is in the final year of a deal that pays him $36.9 million, is seeking a 4-year, $198.5 million extension for him through June 30. , sources said. If Irving is traded, he’s eligible to sign a two-year, $78.6 million contract extension with his new team through June 30.
No team has expressed a desire to invest in Irving privately, especially after the turbulence of an eight-match suspension for his failure to initially rebuke an anti-Semitic film shared on the platform. his social network.
The Lakers and Mavericks have previously expressed commercial interest in Irving and plan to speak to the Nets in the coming days, but both teams have expressed their own limitations in providing a key commercial asset to the team. Irving, sources said.
The Suns have an ambitious new owner, Mat Ishbia, who is due for approval in the coming days, and a lineup that could give Brooklyn the best scenario for a mix of players and picks in a deal. potential deal. the Lakers . team LeBron James has been an advocate of reuniting with Irving in LA, and it’s unclear if the Lakers will offer their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in a potential trade. Dallas general manager Nico Harrison has a long relationship with Irving from his days as Nike’s CEO, and Mavericks coach Jason Kidd also has a relationship with Irving.
Both the Lakers and Mavericks are winning teams without the talent needed to compete for the title this season, and that makes them more inclined to consider a deal with Irving.
Bigger problem for Brooklyn becoming an All-NBA star Kevin Durant respond to Irving’s transaction request and if it causes him to rethink his future with the institution by Thursday’s deadline. Many teams are more concerned with how that situation might play out than trying to investigate Irving.
Before the season, Irving looked for signings and deals, but interest in the league was minimal and Irving ultimately decided to opt into the final year of his contract. Durant requested the off-season trade before canceling the request in September.
The Nets are on 31-20 but have lost seven of their 11 games since Durant sprained his MCL. He is expected to return shortly before or after the All-Star break in mid-February.
Irving, 30, is averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game this season.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Ramona Shelburne contributed to reporting.
