NBA Insider: How Kyrie Irving Trade Request Impacts Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons Future

If the Brooklyn Nets do trade Kyrie Irving, it could signal the start of a full rebuild for the organization and lead to questions around the futures of Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons.

ESPN's Nick Friedell broke down the situation Saturday on SportsCenter:

"That's the biggest problem for Brooklyn right now (being unable to convince Kevin Durant to stay). If you make this deal, and you send Kyrie elsewhere, it is an acknowledgement at least for this season you're not winning a title. There is no player out there, and no scenario out there, no matter how many picks and what kind of salaries might match, that gets you a player like Kyrie Irving to pair with Kevin Durant. It's not going to happen. Kyrie's an All-Star starter. They have a chemistry together; they are really good. "

"This is where the Ben Simmons conversation factors in in a major way. Before the season ... the hope was Simmons would return to the All-Star form that he showed when he was in Philadelphia. He's not that player right now. He's not even close. So, the question in all of this is what happens with Simmons, who still has two years left on his deal? If you're the Nets, you're saying to Kevin Durant, 'Hey, hang with us we'll make this work.' He's going to be 35 years old. If they leave Kyrie and they get nothing back, all they have is Ben Simmons with two years left and a potential slot in a cap spot where they can spend like $12 million. That is not a championship-caliber team. "

"They need Simmons to get a lot better, a lot quicker. There are a lot of people around the league though that don't believe that's going to happen. So, I leave this one caveat as well. If you're moving Kyrie, and you come to that decision if you're Sean Marks and Joe Tsai, you also have to be looking at teams that could potentially take Ben Simmons back as well. And then you're in a total rebuild and I don't see Kevin Durant staying for the long term here."

Irving put in a trade request on Friday, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic, just six days before the Feb. 9 trade deadline. The two sides were unable to work out a contract extension ahead of Irving hitting free agency this offseason, per Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes.

Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reported the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns could all be involved in a potential trade, which would likely ruin the Nets' chances of competing in 2022-23.

Irving has been a key part of the team's success, averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Brooklyn entered Saturday fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-20 record, but dealing away an All-Star starter would likely take the team out of contention. Durant remains out with a knee injury and no one else on the roster is averaging more than 13 points per game.

Even with a healthy Durant, there likely isn't enough on the roster to contend without Irving.

It could force Durant to renew his own trade demands after asking to leave last offseason. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the superstar was "surprised" by Irving's trade request. Durant has three more years under contract with the Nets, but the 34-year-old likely doesn't want to wait on a rebuild.

Simmons, meanwhile, hasn't worked out for the Nets after coming over in the James Harden trade with the Philadelphia 76ers a year ago. He didn't play a game for Brooklyn following the trade last season, and in 2022-23 he has set career lows in points (7.4), rebounds (6.5) and assists (6.4) per game.

As Friedell argues, an Irving trade could be the first step in each of the "Big Three" being dealt.