According to multiple reports, All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving has requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets before the Feb. 9 deadline. Shams Charania of The Athletic was the first to report the stunning news.
Per Charania, if Irving doesn't get moved by the deadline, he will leave the Nets in free agency and the team will have lost him for nothing. The Nets and Kyrie have been unable to reach an extension agreement to this point, with Irving's agent Shetellia Riley Irving saying recently that "the ball is in the Nets court."
Substack's Marc Stein adds that the Nets' strategy to this point is to focus on playing out the season. The organization believes that Irving likely needs a sign-and-trade in the summer to get to a favorable destination.
Irving was named an All-Star starter one week ago to represent Brooklyn. The 30-year-old is having an incredible season, averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game on .486/.374/.883 shooting splits. He's helped guide the Nets during Kevin Durant's absence, as the team boasts a 31-20 record and sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
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