AP Photo/Seth Wenig
Scotto: If the Nets trade Kevin Durant, it could mean the end of Kyrie Irving’s time in Brooklyn as well. There’s a school of thought from some that Brooklyn could get under the luxury tax by moving both Durant and Irving. While Nets owner Joe Tsai has clearly shown a willingness to pay the luxury tax for a championship-contending team, it may appeal less to him if the team is merely a playoff-caliber team. I don’t think deep down in their hearts within the organization that the Nets want to move Durant. That’s why the asking price is so exorbitant. I think, deep down, the Nets want Durant and Irving to come back and give it another shot. You’ve got Ben Simmons, who’s your third piece, they’ve added TJ Warren, they brought back Nicolas Claxton, Joe Harris is coming back healthy, and you’ve got a full season of Seth Curry.
Some people on Twitter have commented that if the Nets got Brown and Irving, it would be an interesting team. Folks, yes, the Nets wanted Irving in free agency if they could get him, but a large part of that was because he came with Durant. In Irving’s time with the Nets, he left the team for personal reasons, he didn’t get vaccinated, and the big three (with James Harden) became the big 2.5, which was a major reason why Harden wanted out. They’ve failed to reach the expectations he’s publicly hoped for with the team, and the team hoped for since they all joined forces.
Weiss: I thought somebody reported that the Nets weren’t interested in taking on Russell Westbrook (in an Irving trade) and buying him out to get the picks from the Lakers. If you can get two future firsts from the Lakers at a point when there’s a good chance that franchise is done, you have to take that on. The assets would be too valuable, and you can flip them again pretty soon.
Scotto: When it comes to any potential Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving trade talks, or if the Lakers are moving Westbrook to any team, both future first-round picks have to be included. You already saw Indiana decline multiple second-round picks (in addition to one first-round pick)… If the Nets were going to get Westbrook, my assumption would be there will be a third team involved, and one of those first-round picks would go to a team with salary cap space like the Pacers or Spurs, for example. They’d likely have more of an appetite for buying him out to get a first-round pick.
