It looks like we all may have spoken too soon when we said that the Brooklyn Nets had “finalized” a trade to send Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks.
According to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets-Mavs trade has not been made official because the Nets are still working to expand the trade. Per the report, they are trying to find a third team that will come in and give them some added compensation.
Woj identified that Toronto Raptors as a potential third team to get in on the trade. Barring a third team coming in though, the move is expected to be finalized soon.
NBA fans can’t help but wonder if the Los Angeles Lakers might be the third team though. Some are saying that LeBron James must be working hard to try and intercept the trade in some way:
Russ to Dallas, Kyrie to the Lakers? AK https://t.co/ItyhbfwtFX
— Kamenetzky Brothers (@KamBrothers) February 6, 2023
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Expanding this trade would allow the Nets to aggregate the salaries of Spencer Dinwiddie and/or Dorian Finney-Smith with other players. Once it’s finalized, they could no longer be aggregated (though there are some workarounds for that). https://t.co/1f9V6tqqQK
— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) February 6, 2023
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Lakers fans are so shameless no way they still think that they’re getting him 😭😭 https://t.co/HyBtzHAbh9
— 🛰️ (@KT_3410) February 6, 2023
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Some believe that the move could also be a case of the Brooklyn Nets also trying to squeeze Kevin Durant into a deal with someone. Though that also seems unlikely given their position in the Eastern Conference standings right now.
Most likely, Kyrie Irving will be joining the Mavericks, though a different combination of draft picks and players could be going to the Nets instead.
Will this be a two-team trade for Kyrie Irving, or will a third team get involved in the end?