Kyrie Irving Expected to Opt In, Look for New Team, per Report

Irving has a $36.9 million player option for 2022–23.

As the Kyrie Irving saga with the Nets twists and turns into the offseason, the All-Star point guard might have already mapped out his next move.

Irving is expected to exercise his player option for next season with the ultimate goal of leaving Brooklyn via a trade, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Charania includes the Lakers, Knicks and Clippers among suitors that are expected to be among “several teams” interested in acquiring Irving.

On the Nets, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving: pic.twitter.com/xphBIP8LB3

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2022

Irving is a seven-time All-Star who played in just 29 games last season, missing the majority of Brooklyn’s home games due to New York’s vaccine mandate. He averaged 27.4 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 41.8% on three-point attempts.

Irving’s potential departure could have a domino effect for the Nets and the rest of the league, as there’s a belief that Kevin Durant could potentially bolt Brooklyn if Irving leaves.

“There are teams rooting for Irving to opt out and walk away from the Nets, believing it would give them a chance to cobble together trade packages to acquire Durant,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. “As much as Durant asking out hangs over the Nets, there’s also the reality that four years on his contract will mean he has little, if any, voice on when or where he would be traded. This would be a small-market team’s dream, robbing a goliath of an MVP-level talent whose contractual circumstances would leave him little choice but to play for them.”