NBA Rumors: Top 3 Teams In Mix For Kyrie Irving
NBA Insider Shams Charania of The Athletic says three teams are ready to pounce, and you won't be surprised by any of the names:
New York Knicks:
The Knicks could lure Kyrie crosstown with a max deal offer, if they clear some salaries off the books, namely, posits Charania, players such as Evan Fournier, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Kemba Walker. A package involving some of those names could also make up a sign-and-trade offer to the Nets, or via a third team.
It would certainly be interesting to see how the Tom Thibodeau-Kyrie dynamic would work.
Los Angeles Lakers:
Another team that's long been linked to being interested in Irving, the Lakers would offer a very intriguing reunion of Kyrie and LeBron James. Not sure how that would work, but if it's to be done, the easiest way to facilitate it would be Irving opting in to his $36.9M contract, then pulling off a trade.
The Lakers would have to send anywhere from $29.3M to $45.8M for salary-matching purposes. Russell Westbrook's $47M is too high, so the Nets would have to send something else back.
Not exactly a shocker, but there were whispers some time ago that Kyrie wanted to go to the Lakers. Kind of died down when reports surfaced that there was confidence he and the Nets would figure it out.
— Austin Krell (@NBAKrell) June 20, 2022
Los Angeles Clippers:
Yes, the no-nonsense Kawhi Leonard would make for strange bedfellows with Kyrie Irving, but Charania says they are an "interested suitor."
The Clippers are over the luxury tax line and the hard cap, so once again, Irving would have to opt-in to his 2022-23 contract, and then a trade could take place. The same salary-matching numbers apply, which, says Charania could include the likes of "two or three of Norman Powell, Marcus Morris, Luke Kennard and/or Reggie Jackson."
Interesting times on the horizon here, and we'll be watching what Irving does with that player option by June 29th.
Photo Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
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