Kyrie Irving Trade Rumors: Market for Nets Star Is 'Frozen' amid Lakers Buzz

Do not expect a Kyrie Irving trade anytime soon.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst says Irving trade talks are "frozen" as the Brooklyn Nets prioritize getting a Kevin Durant trade done.

"The market on Kyrie remains frozen. The only team known to have interest is the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Nets have given out the vibe that they want to do a Kevin Durant trade first before moving on to Kyrie," Windhorst said Monday on Get Up.

The Durant trade market has been moving at a slow pace given Brooklyn's exorbitant asking price. It's likely teams are waiting for the initial sticker price to come down before making more serious offers.

Irving will be in limbo until then, as it remains possible cooler heads could prevail and the two Nets stars could decide they'd rather play together than exit Brooklyn and part ways. The Nets also want to know what they're getting in return for Durant so they know what to prioritize in an Irving trade.

The Lakers' trade package, which has to include Russell Westbrook for salary purposes, will always be there. Irving's fit with LeBron James and Anthony Davis is so much better than Westbrook's that there's little chance they'll pull whatever offer is on the table.

Brooklyn is likely hopeful a second or third team gets in the mix and forces the Lakers' offer—which, by virtue of draft picks given up for Davis, can realistically only include their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks—to the bottom of the pile. Westbrook's trade value around the league is negative, so his salary would be merely used for matching purposes.

The longer the summer plays out, the more likely it is a team talks itself into taking a one-year risk on Irving's skill set.