Latest Kyrie Irving news reportedly draws zero interest from Knicks
If you disagree with the New York Knicks’ course of action on draft night or are still left confused by what took place, at least the Knicks are on a better path than the Brooklyn Nets. And after all, New York could be in Brooklyn’s shoes if Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant would’ve teamed up on the Knicks three years ago.
Since then, the Nets have yet to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. And it looks like that isn’t going to happen in the near future.
According to New York Daily News’ Kristian Winfield, Irving has received permission from Brooklyn to field sign-and-trade offers. The 30-year-old point guard has until Wednesday to decide on his $36.5 million player option for 2022-23. If he declines it, he’ll be free to join a new team.
New York was originally listed as one of the teams that Irving had an interest in joining, and the Knicks have the cap space, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Los Angeles Lakers are the only team to have expressed interest in acquiring Irving via a sign-and-trade deal.
So, as it stands, New York isn’t looking to Irving as a fit for the void that the front office is trying to fill at point guard. That means that the Knicks have their sights zeroed in on Jalen Brunson.
The Knicks reportedly aren’t interested in a sign-and-trade deal for Kyrie Irving
Truthfully, New York shouldn’t be focused on Irving’s future. What the Knicks should be thinking about, though, is KD. If Irving leaves, the belief is that Durant will request a trade from the Nets.
Regardless of how phenomenal Irving is as a player, he comes with a lot of risk. Winfield wrote:
"The Nets, as the Daily News reported in late May, have been unwilling to give Irving a long-term contract extension with significant financial guarantees. They do not believe Irving is committed to doing what it takes to be on the floor every game for his teammates."
Admittedly, Brooklyn might not be making the smartest decision because if Irving leaves, the Nets won’t have the cap space to sign someone who possesses a similar-level talent. And Brooklyn’s front office should desperately want to keep Durant.
While the Lakers are the only team to have shown interest in Irving, if Durant were made available, the exact opposite would be true. After all, why would you not want one of the best players in the history of the game on your roster?
If things go south with Jalen Brunson and New York, the Knicks will have cleared cap space for nothing. But perhaps not. This is absolutely a far shot, but if their arsenal of draft picks could be used in a trade package for Durant, that’d be a massive move for New York.
It’d also require the Knicks to give up a lot in return. If you thought that the proposed trades for Jaden Ivey were a lot, you haven’t seen anything yet.
But let’s come back down to Earth. There’s no way to know if Leon Rose’s gamble on Brunson will pay off, but at least New York hasn’t shown interest in giving up the farm for Irving. There’s a reason why the Lakers are the only team that’s willing to execute a sign-and-trade.
If you’re still recovering from last week, this week is going to bring a whole new level of entertainment. I hope that you’re ready.
