:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71009541/1393854580.0.jpg)
The Brooklyn Nets could go from having three stars to have zero in one season, as both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving appear to be at odds with the organization. Irving is looking for a long-term contract and holds a player option for next season, but he could opt out and become an unrestricted free agent. With Irving’s situation unclear, Durant is starting to get cold feet, per Shams Charania.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Irving has a list of teams he’d be happy to join in sign-and-trade deals. That opens up more options for the guard but he’d need the Nets to help him get to these spots. The New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers are teams Irving is potentially interested in.
ESPN Sources: If Kyrie Irving can’t reach an agreement to stay with Brooklyn, he has a list of teams he’d like them to consider on sign-and-trades, including Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, Heat, Mavs and 76ers. None of those teams have cap space to sign him without Nets’ help.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 23, 2022
The obvious caveat here is none of these teams are likely to give Irving the long-term deal he wants given his absentee status on several occasions throughout his career. There’s still a strong chance he ends up back in Brooklyn on a one-year deal, but an extension seems out of the question right now.