Could the Brooklyn Nets’ big three of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden be broken up sooner than expected?
Journalist Matt Sullivan recently released a book titled “Can’t Knock The Hustle: Inside the Season of Protest, Pandemic, and Progress with the Brooklyn Nets’ Superstars of Tomorrow.” On Tuesday, he appeared on the “Celtics Lab” podcast and reported that the Nets might be willing to listen to trade offers for Irving this offseason.
“Let me give you guys a little news I’m not sure that’s been out there. I’ve heard that Nets ownership was quite upset with Kyrie’s ‘pause,’ especially that maskless party that turned his psuedo-paternity leave into more like a COVID suspension,” Sullivan said, as transcribed by 98.5 The Sports Hub. “In the last week I’ve heard rumblings – whispers, really, because cracking the Nets is kind of like breaking into the Kremlin, that Brooklyn GM Sean Marks would maybe, possibly, apparently be willing to at least listen to a trade offer for Kyrie this offseason.”
Sullivan added that he believes the issues with Irving’s behavior that exist within the front office may not extend to the locker room. He also said that he’s not necessarily sure what the market is for Irving at this point.
The 29-year-old still is one of the best point guards in the game, but his off-court behavior has been a concern in recent years. He has also failed to stay healthy, suffering an ankle injury during this year’s playoffs, in addition to other injuries during the regular season.
At this point, it seems highly unlikely that the Nets trade Irving. It wouldn’t make sense to blow things up just yet, especially because the team wasn’t 100% healthy against the Milwaukee Bucks.
