Now that Kyrie Irving has made it publicly known that he has no plans of getting vaccinated and abiding by the state of New York's COVID-19 vaccination mandate, the Brooklyn Nets may have no other choice left but to trade the All-Star guard.
In their quest to capture their first NBA title in franchise history, the Nets have done all they can to try and satisfy Irving while abiding by the league rules.
Unfortunately, the 2021-22 NBA season is now in full swing and Brooklyn has to do what's best for the team. Luckily for them, not every state has implemented a vaccination mandate, so there will be definitely be some teams with a high level of interest in trading for Irving.
As the Nets work tirelessly to move past all of this, let's now take a look at the three best trade destinations for Irving.
Kyrie Irving Trade Destinations
This would be an ideal trade for the Nets to pursue as they'd be swapping two stars who are not seeing any playing time on their current teams. On the Nets, Ben Simmons would be getting a fresh start and his offensive deficiencies wouldn't be anywhere near as problematic considering all the firepower the team currently possesses.
Plus with his size and length, Simmons would provide the Nets with a much-needed perimeter defender who could take some of the ball-handling and playmaking load off of James Harden. On the flip side, Irving would be able to give the Sixers a massive upgrade at the point guard spot while forming a lethal 1-2 punch with Joel Embiid.
With this move, the Sixers would vastly improve their chances of winning this year's NBA championship. They would run a more fluid offense and improve their ball movement and scoring. Although Irving has proven to be a defensive liability at times, the 76ers would be able to cover this up with a plethora of defensive aces on their roster. This is especially true with Embiid, Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle anchoring their top-notch defensive unit.
With the addition of Irving, the Sixers would become the most explosive two-way team in the NBA.
Coming off a relatively quiet offseason where the Dallas Mavericks did very little to improve their roster and get more help for franchise superstar Luka Doncic, this would be a trade that would upgrade their backcourt immensely and get Luka the help he needs on the offensive end. Just the very idea of Doncic and Irving playing off each other on the offensive end is a nightmare scenario for opposing defenses to try and plan for.
As the Mavs look to build championship roster and get Luka the support he needs, this would be an ideal trade for them to explore–especially if they want to get past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2011. If Dallas wants to climb the ranks of the ultra-competitive Western Conference, then this is a move that would elevate their status and possibly make them a top-four team in the wild wild west coast.
This would be a welcome addition for the Clippers that would also reunite Irving with former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue, whom he won the 2016 NBA championship with. Now that Kawhi Leonard is expected to be out for a large part of the season, adding an All-Star talent like Kyrie Irving to play alongside Paul George would keep the Clippers in the upper echelon of the Western Conference.
This would also be a luxury for the Clippers to have while Leonard works to get back to full strength. If LA could successfully pull off a trade for Irving, then they'd become the new team-to-beat in the NBA. A superstar trio of Leonard, George and Irving would make the Clippers an unstoppable team in the NBA.
The scoring, playmaking and ball handling of these three All-Stars would make them a more cohesive unit. Under the direction of Ty Lue, Irving would be back in the right mindset and he'd give the Clippers a huge boost in their backcourt. There's no denying that Kyrie's best chance to win another NBA title is staying put in Brooklyn, but a move to the Clippers would give him the opportunity to chase a few more rings as well.
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