Things between Kyrie Irving and the Nets continue to reach a boiling point as the star point guard refuses to get vaccinated — which has resulted in the Nets to bench him until he does.
Well, the Nets could possibly go further then benching Irving. It's possible the whole situation could lead to a trade, according to NBA Insider Shams Charania.
"I think rival teams right now feel that Brooklyn is at least open to hearing any types of significant offers," he said on "The Glue Guys" podcast. "I think everything's on the table at this point."
Past speculation of an Irving trade prompted reports that he would retire if traded, but that was before the vaccine situation escalated to the point where he was being benched by the Nets.
Irving went on Instagram Live on Wednesday night to address his stance, adding he has no plans to retire, but it was unclear if that would change if the Nets were to trade him.
In addition to the threat of retirement, the market for Irving could be thin, especially considering that San Francisco and Los Angeles have similar vaccine mandates in its cities, effectively eliminating them as possibilities.
"It's unclear who he would be open to be playing for," Charania added. "Wehter that's a lottery team or fringe playoff team. I know he wants to retire with the Nets. That's why he went there. For most of the offseason it was pretty well assured he would sign an extension; James Harden would sign an extension. Neither of that has happened."
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Charania did say that if Irving does not threaten retirement, there would definitely be interest from teams despite his baggage.
"Obviously, he's still one of the top players in the league. There is a lot of – the way he left Cleveland, way he left Boston, what's going on in Brooklyn -- would his value be as high as ever? No, it probably wouldn't. But as far as teams being interested, there's definitely already teams that would have a level of interest."
Stephen A. Smith has mentioned a potential Ben Simmons for Irving deal that was denied by Kevin Durant. Smith also talked about Daryl Morey still "lurking" trying to acquire James Harden once again and bring him to Philadelphia.
With the Simmons situation still influx, the Sixers could be an option for the Nets as a trade counterpart.
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