Kyrie Irving has reportedly requested a trade from the Nets, leading many to wonder who might be willing to take a chance on the disgruntled star, who carries his share of headaches, with the NBA trade deadline less than a week away.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the interest from rival teams is much more rooted in Kevin Durant than Irving himself.
Per Wojnarowski, teams are showing “far more interest in inquiring on Kevin Durant’s reaction to Kyrie Irving’s trade request,” as teams are likely wondering if Irving’s request means that Durant will reactivate his own request that he put forth this past offseason.
Durant, the more valuable player with far less baggage, asked for a trade this past summer before recommitting to the team, and he was putting up MVP numbers before going down with an injury, one that the Nets have been able to weather thanks in large part to Irving’s All-Star season, in which he is averaging over 27 points per game and leading the league in fourth quarter points.
Wojnarowski also reported that the Mavericks are a team expected to check in on Irving, as they had done in the past, in continued efforts to find a star to pair alongside Luka Doncic. But the question will become whether Dallas has enough assets to make the deal happen, or if they want to take a risk on Irving at all.
In the meantime, it appears teams care more about Durant’s potential trade interest as a result of Irving wanting out of Brooklyn.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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