Believe it or not, there are these bonkers trade rumors of the Brooklyn Nets potentially trading star point guard Kyrie Irving. Nick Wright of Fox Sports lit the match with a Tweet, claiming that the 29-year old would “retire from the NBA” should the Nets deal him. Irving took exception to Wright's crazy news and called him “a puppet.”
There is probably no truth to these rumors given how hard it is to fathom the Nets just entertaining the idea of trading away one of their top players. Still, if Wright is actually up to something here and the Nets somehow find a worthwhile deal involving Irving, this would undoubtedly be the most shocking move of the offseason. In the same way, it would also be the dumbest move this summer.
Nets general manager Sean Marks would probably be so out of his mind and his element if he even considers trading Irving. Remember, Irving came in as a package deal with Kevin Durant, who is perhaps Brooklyn's most important player. Though they already secured KD to a long-term deal, keeping him happy should still be one of their top priorities. Moving one of his closest buddies in the NBA would only upset the 2-time Finals MVP and could damage his relationship with the organization.
In addition, there probably isn't any deal out there that is going to be an upgrade for Brooklyn. And if that hypothetical deal improves their squad, it isn't going to move their needle as much either. As constructed, the Nets are already heavy favorites to win the NBA championship. They already have arguably the deadliest offensive trio in the league. Sean Marks has also done a tremendous job in surrounding Durant, Irving, and Harden with a championship-caliber supporting cast. At full strength, there is probably no team in the league that could stop them.
The rumored deal that has made the rounds is a Kyrie Irving for Ben Simmons swap between the Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers. It's no secret that Simmons already wants out of Philadelphia, but it's highly unlikely he lands in Brooklyn in exchange for Irving. While adding Simmons addresses one of their main weaknesses as a team, which is defense, this still seems like a downgrade considering what Irving brings to the table offensively.
Now, there may be some fans who are in the camp that the Nets should consider making this move if it is worth it on Brooklyn's end. Perhaps one argument is that Irving's scoring isn't much of a premium given that they have Kevin Durant and James Harden. Maybe they can flip him for a player like Simmons could strengthen some of Brooklyn's other deficiencies.
Furthermore, another argument could be that Irving might have another episode of his mid-season disappearance from a year ago, where he left the team indefinitely for personal reasons. That could serve as a distraction for the Nets should a recurrence happen again this year as they pursue an NBA title.
Irving's health may also be one of their arguments and may point to this most recent postseason as an example. Still, while the 7-time All-Star's injury was a freak accident, it's hard to discount Irving's injury history throughout his career.
Nonetheless, whatever reason the Nets may think of in trading Kyrie Irving, they should be ashamed that the thought even crossed their minds. There is no way any championship-hopeful should consider trading a player of his caliber, especially since they have two former MVPs on the same roster in Durant and Harden.
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