Before Kyrie Irving was an NBA champion, seven-time All-Star, number one pick and five-star recruit, he was just a kid falling in love with basketball in South Orange, New Jersey.

Irving grew up a die-hard New Jersey Nets fan, frequently attending games at Continental Airlines Arena. Those years featured two trips to the NBA finals led by All-Star point guard Jason Kidd, something that fueled Irving's dreams of playing in the NBA.

“I wanted to be like J-Kidd growing up,” Irving said in a 2020 interview posted by the Nets. “A lot of my friends and my family members were connected to the fandom of being a New Jersey Nets fan. Going to Continental Airlines Arena, cheering up in nosebleeds. The motivation for me was that I'm going to make sure that when the Nets get back to the finals, I'm going to be part of this team and we're going to be winning this.”

The Nets are celebrating their tenth year in Brooklyn this season. And Irving said Monday that he remains grateful for the opportunity to play for his hometown team.

“I honestly can say I’m grateful to be in the dream position of a kid and a Nets fan being at home and being able to play for their home team,” he said. “So it’s always going to have a special place in my heart just to see us go from Continental Airlines to Prudential to us now being in Brooklyn for 10 years, to say I was drafted at a time when that transition was happening and I was part of it.”

Now three seasons into Kyrie Irving's Nets tenure, the results have been underwhelming. The guard has played in just 116 games in three seasons while becoming one of the league's more controversial stars. A promising 2021 playoff run was cut short when Irving injured his ankle in Game 3 of the second round against the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks. Brooklyn would go on to lose in overtime in Game 7.

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
Ranking 3 best Fred VanVleet free-agency destinations if he leaves Rockets
Ty Jerome Cavaliers
Ranking 3 best Ty Jerome free agency destinations if he leaves Cavaliers

The guard missed over half of last season while refusing to comply with New York's workplace vaccine mandate. He is now fully available at the start of the 2022-23 campaign, and like his comments in 2020, the fourth-year Net said winning a championship is the motivating factor when building his Nets legacy.

“Now that I’m on this side of creating a legacy that’s going to last way beyond my years, I’m grateful,” he said. “And doing it with these guys here, specifically what we’ve been through the last few years, it will make it a lot sweeter if we do get to the top of that mountain at the end of the season.”

Brooklyn begins that climb Wednesday night when they open the season at home against the New Orleans Pelicans. Despite a tumultuous offseason, a new-look roster featuring the additions of Ben Simmons, Royce O'Neale, T.J. Warren and more has the Nets in the title conversation once again. Irving appears to be stepping into a leadership role with Brooklyn this year. The 11-year veteran's coaches and teammates have raved about his focus throughout training camp, something that was evident in his hustle on both ends of the floor during preseason games.

While Brooklyn has clear championship aspirations, Irving and his teammates have spoken of a day-to-day approach throughout camp, stressing the importance of not looking too far ahead this season. When asked Monday what it would mean to bring the first NBA title to his hometown team, Kyrie Irving continued that trend.

“I will have an answer for you in six to nine months.”