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Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving is at an “impasse” with the organization, according to NBA insider Shams Charania. This allows Irving to consider the open market. The New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers are expected as potential suitors for the seven-time All Star.
Kyrie Irving, 29, joined the Brooklyn Nets in 2019 in a landmark trade from the Boston Celtics that saw him join all stars James Harden and Kevin Durant. His time in Brooklyn was plagued by injury and vaccine mandates. Irving made the NBA All-star team in the 2020-21 season and helped the Brooklyn Nets make it to the Eastern Conference finals, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. In the 2021-22 season, Irving started in only 29 games, averaging 27.4 points per game.
With the breaking news of Irving testing the market, could we see a potential reunion with Lebron James? Kyrie Irving began his career at the Cleveland Cavaliers, drafted first overall in the NBA draft, where he won the 2016 NBA Championship. Irving joined the Boston Celtics in 2017. Lebron James left Cleveland a year later and traveled out west to join the Lakers, winning the 2020 NBA Championship. The Lakers missed the playoffs last year, after bringing in veteran players including Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard. The interest in Irving suggests that they view him as a valuable asset to see them returning to playoff basketball.
The other potential suitor would see Kyrie Irving crossing the East River to join the New York Knicks. After a promising 2020-21 season that saw the Knicks return to the playoffs for the first time since 2013, the Knicks missed out on the 2022 NBA postseason. If he chooses to play under the lights at Madison Square Garden, Irving could be joining RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Kemba Walker, Derrick Rose, and crew hungry to topple the giants of the Eastern Conference, including Kyrie’s older team, the Boston Celtics.
While the news is early, it is unclear where Kyrie Irving’s ambitions lie. Irving has a June 29th deadline for an option to rejoin the Brooklyn Nets for the 2022-23 season worth $36.9 million. On June 30th, if Kyrie does not opt to rejoin the Nets, he will become one of the most high-profile free agents of the 2022 summer window, joining the likes of James Harden, Zach LaVine, Bradley Beal, and Miles Bridges. The right deal could see Kyrie Irving leaving Brooklyn and joining a new team for his twelfth NBA season.
