Kyrie Irving Gets Permission From Nets to Find Sign-and-Trade Teams, per Report

Is Irving’s time in Brooklyn coming to an end?

The Nets have granted Kyrie Irving’s request to explore potential sign-and-trade packages this offseason, according to the New York Daily News’s Kristian Winfield. 

Irving is eligible to opt out of his current contract this summer and enter free agency. He can also opt in to $36.5 million for next season. 

It could be a tumultuous summer for Brooklyn after the Nets were eliminated by the Celtics in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. Irving’s future with the franchise remains unclear, and Kevin Durant has not spoken with Nets GM Sean Marks this offseason, per Winfield. Less than two years after building a potential superteam with Durant, Irving and James Harden, the Nets face a potential crisis. 

”The belief among both league and player circles is that Irving is gone and the Seven-Eleven Era is over before it ever began,” Winfield wrote Monday. “The Nets, as the Daily News reported in late May, have been unwilling to give Irving a long-term contract extension with significant financial guarantees. They do not believe Irving is committed to doing what it takes to be on the floor every game for his teammates.”

The Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, Heat, 76ers and Mavericks have been reported as potential ideal landing spots for Irving, per Winfield. Irving has played 103 games with the Nets since 2019, averaging 27.1 points and six assists per game.