NBA Rumors: Teams Hope Kyrie Irving Leaves Nets to Open Door for Kevin Durant Trade

Kyrie Irving's future with the Brooklyn Nets remains uncertain, which has resulted in speculation that Kevin Durant could request a trade if his teammate departs the franchise.

In fact, some teams are "rooting for Irving to opt-out and walk away from the Nets," according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, because they believe "it would give them a chance to cobble together trade packages to acquire Durant."

"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," Wojnarowski wrote. "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."

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported Monday that Irving, who has a $36.5 million player option for 2022-23, and the Nets were at an "impasse" in contract discussions "that clears the way for the seven-time All-Star to consider the open marketplace."

However, Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported that Irving and the Nets "still have ground to cover for both sides to emerge content on extension conversations." He added that Brooklyn prefers to offer Irving a "shorter-term, incentive-laden agreement that includes benchmarks such as games played," while the star point guard prefers a longer-term deal.

Fischer added that the situation is expected to remain fluid, but that Nets officials have assumed since they were eliminated from the playoffs that Irving, Durant and Ben Simmons will take the floor together during the 2022-23 campaign.

Irving said in April following Brooklyn's loss to the Boston Celtics in the playoffs that he didn't plan on leaving the organization this summer, telling reporters that he intended to re-sign with the Nets.

"When I say I'm here with Kev, I think that really entails us managing this franchise together alongside Joe and Sean," he said.

That wasn't the first time Irving made those comments, either. He also said in March that he couldn't envision himself leaving Durant.

"I think for me, it has always been about being comfortable loving where I'm at, and I love it here," Irving said. "Once that summertime hits, I know that we'll have some conversations, but there's no way I could leave my man seven."

However, Irving previously burned the Celtics after the 2018-19 season. He told fans that he intended to return to Boston before jumping ship and signing with the Nets ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.

So, it's definitely possible Irving explores free agency this summer and, if he leaves, that could open the door for the Nets to trade Durant and rework their roster.

That said, if the Nets want to win a title, they need to figure out Irving's contract situation because he, Durant and Simmons will give the franchise its best chance of winning in 2022-23 and beyond.