The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly preparing to lose both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant this offseason. The Nets' situation is obviously the biggest story in the NBA right now as free agency approaches this week, with a massive shift in the league's landscape on the way if both players do go elsewhere.
Count Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma as somebody who's excited to see how this all plays out:
July 1đż https://t.co/DkFDY6VIM5
â kuz (@kylekuzma) June 27, 2022
Kuz does have his date a little off. Free agency gets underway on June 30, and the date to watch for Irving and the Nets is June 29. That's the deadline for him to make a decision on his $36-plus million player option.
Irving and the Nets are at an impasse in talks on a contract extension. The point guard wants a long-term deal, while Brooklyn wants something shorter. He has apparently been given the go-ahead to seek sign-and-trade scenarios, but there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of legitimate interest out there right now.
There are rumblings that Irving wants to go to the Los Angeles Lakers and is even considering opting out and signing with them for just over $6 million, which is the taxpayer mid-level exception. Irving could also exercise that player option and then demand a trade.
It's going to be fascinating to see how this situation plays out. Irving and the Nets are playing a game of chicken right now, with obvious leverage plays being made in the media. Kuzma and the rest of us have that popcorn ready.
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