The Brooklyn Nets have shown glimpses of what they could be this season, but Kevin Durant’s sprained MCL has forced them to take another step back.
Another concern that has hung over the team is star guard Kyrie Irving’s impending free agency and the difficulty in negotiating a contract extension to keep him in the borough past this season.
He has reportedly been looking for an extension worth roughly $200 million over four years.
With both sides far apart in negotiations, Irving has asked the Nets to trade him ahead of next week’s trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Breaking: Kyrie Irving has told the Nets that he wants to be traded ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, a source told @wojespn. pic.twitter.com/ba5b0lqmI4
— ESPN (@espn) February 3, 2023
The New Jersey native is averaging 27.1 points and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 48.6% overall and 37.4% from 3-point range so far this season.
There aren’t expected to be a ton of teams interested in trading for him, especially given his enigmatic personality, but the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be one of those teams.