Nets star Kyrie Irving is creating quite the headache for the Brooklyn Nets. He refuses to take the vaccine in order to be eligible to play for Brooklyn at Barclays Center. The team decided to not have him play at all if he isn’t fully eligible, which means he has not practiced or played all season long. Despite missing one of their superstars, the Nets sit comfortably at the top of the Eastern Conference with a record of 14-5.
As each practice and game goes by, the Nets are gaining more and more chemistry and familiarity with each other. Not only that, but this also makes the idea of trading Irving more and more tempting.
Out of curiosity, a recent trade suggestion that foresees the 29-year-old being moved to the Mavericks for Kristaps Porzingis and Jalen Brunson has come forth.
Via Bleacher Report:
“Brunson (15.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 49.3 percent shooting overall) has enjoyed a breakout season for Dallas and would slide in next to James Harden in Brooklyn’s starting backcourt. This would allow Patty Mills to return to a sixth man role full-time, as expected when he signed with the Nets.
Porzingis isn’t living up to expectations as a No. 2 in Dallas but could thrive as a floor-spacing No. 3 (or No. 4 on some nights) in Brooklyn, giving Kevin Durant and Harden their driving lanes.”
Brunson is having a breakout season, and he’s proving himself to be a solid player. As for Porzingis, who was frustrated with his limited role last season, there’s no telling how frustrated he would be playing in Brooklyn. Nevertheless, he’s averaging 21 PPG on the season, but there’s no guarantee he will show up in the playoffs.
In the postseason last year, Porzingis put up 13 PPG on a dreadful 30% shooting from downtown. As for Brunson, you would not want to bet on him in the playoffs either if you’re the Nets when you already have Irving. He averaged 8 PPG in the playoffs last year even when he put up 13 PPG on a career-high 52% accuracy from the field during the regular season.
This is a trade that might be worth mulling over for Sean Marks, but Irving is one of a kind. He’s a player that elevates his game in the playoffs – should he be available by then.
In regards to chemistry, when you have Irving alongside Durant and Harden, not much chemistry is needed. The team will depend on isolations offensively most of the time and with Harden and Durant orchestrating the offense right now, the chemistry they have with the rest of the team will be enough.
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