Irving's season turned into a melodrama in Brooklyn and it now looks like the seven-time All-Star could be on the move again with the Knicks, Clippers and Lakers reported to be interested; Watch the NBA Draft live on Sky Sports Arena & Main Event, from 1am overnight on Thursday night
Tuesday 21 June 2022 12:28, UK
Kyrie Irving could be set to depart the Brooklyn Nets after reports emerged that talks between the player's representatives and team officials "reached an impasse".
The update came from The Athletic's NBA insider Shams Charania who reported that discussions have reached a standstill and that the point guard could now consider offers in free agency.
Irving has a $36.9 million player option in his contract for the 2022-23 season. If he decides to not pick it up, which he would have to do by June 29, then he will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, allowing him to sign with any team of his choosing.
The report states that several teams across the league have been monitoring the situation in Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and LA Clippers are expected to be among the interested suitors if Irving heads elsewhere.
A move to the Lakers would see Irving reunited with LeBron James, with whom he won a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. The Lakers do not have the cap space to sign him though so would probably require Irving to opt into his player option to make that deal possible.
The same is true for the Clippers although they so have players making salaries between $11 million to $17 million to help put together a package that works – namely Norman Powell, Marcus Morris, Luke Kennard and Reggie Jackson. They also have young talent they can use to sweeten any deal.
The Knicks could get rid of salary to help facilitate a deal or perhaps a sign-and-trade (where Irving signs a contract with the agreement that he will be traded) could work should Irving wish to play for Brooklyn's city rivals.
Irving's salary slot would be difficult to replace due to the team already being set to be above next season's salary cap. Brooklyn would have the full $10.3 million midlevel exception but a sign-and-trade would be preferable for the franchise. Irving is also eligible for a new deal via exercising his player option and extending his contract from there, which could land him a starting salary of $45.2 million for 2023-24.
Irving's refusal to be vaccinated meant he was ruled out of the vast majority of the team's home games this season. The team also traded one of their 'Big Three', James Harden, and got Ben Simmons in return – a man who hasn't played for a year through a mixture of mental health and injury issues.
The Nets rarely had a stable roster during a disappointing season that saw an NBA championship favourites finish seventh in the Eastern Conference and get swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round.
They began the season playing without Irving, deciding they didn't want him to be a part-time player. They eventually brought him back in December to play road games only, with Irving unable to play in New York because of the city's mandate requiring vaccination to perform in public venues.
An exemption to the mandate made him available for all games in late March, but by then the Nets were climbing out of a huge hole and had to win a play-in game just to reach the postseason.
Irving is eligible for an extension this summer and said he sees himself remaining in Brooklyn alongside Kevin Durant, who signed an extension last summer. He said after the season he saw those two players "managing this franchise together" alongside Sean Marks and owner Joe Tsai.
Brooklyn GM Marks told reporters back in April that they hadn't had any contract discussions yet with Irving but said the Nets know what they're looking for.
"We're looking for guys that want to come in here and be part of something bigger than themselves, play selfless, play team basketball and be available," Marks said. "And that goes not only for Kyrie but for everybody here."
Irving played only 29 games and Marks acknowledged that Irving's absences put an extra workload on Durant. He said the Nets need to have deep discussions after this season, including about their players' intentions. Irving never specified why he wouldn't get vaccinated, saying it was a personal choice.
"What drives them? Do they want to be part of this? Are they motivated by something that maybe is not good for the whole team?" Marks said. "So those are questions we're going to have to ask ourselves and also the players that we want to bring back in here."
Importantly Marks didn't commit to Irving being part of the future, while also noting that Irving has his own decisions to make. He also said he hasn't talked to Durant about the All-Star forward's feelings about a long-term partnership with Irving. The two are close friends who came to Brooklyn together in 2019.
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