An Opt-In-And-Trade Is Kyrie Irving’s Best Way Off The Brooklyn Nets

We’re only a few days away the start of 2022 NBA free agency, yet Kyrie Irving’s future with the Brooklyn Nets remains up in the air.

Last Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported “conversations about Irving’s future have gone stagnant between him and the Nets.” Irving can become an unrestricted free agent by declining his $36.9 million player option for the 2022-23 season, and Charania added that an “impasse currently exists among the parties that clears the way for the seven-time All-Star to consider the open marketplace.”

Last Wednesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Irving has a “list of teams” that he’d like the Nets “to consider on sign-and-trades” if he can’t reach a long-term agreement with them. That list includes the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers, although Wojnarowski clarified that Irving “isn’t necessarily a priority” for all of those teams.

If Irving is serious about forcing his way off the Nets, he’d be far better off picking up his player option and pushing for an opt-in-and-trade rather than opting out and hoping for a sign-and-trade.

Among Irving’s list of requested destinations, the Knicks are the only team with any salary-cap space this offseason. The Clippers, Lakers and Mavericks are already over the projected $149 million luxury-tax line, and the Sixers will be as well if James Harden picks up his $47.4 million player option as expected. The Heat are roughly $23 million below the tax line, but they could approach that territory as well if they re-sign P.J. Tucker, Caleb Martin and/or Victor Oladipo.

If a team is over the luxury-tax apron, which is projected to be just under $155.7 million this offseason, it cannot receive a player in a sign-and-trade. Any team that does receive a player in a sign-and-trade can’t cross the apron at any point in that league year.

The Clippers, who are already $13 million over the apron—and that’s before re-signing Nicolas Batum, Amir Coffey and Isaiah Hartenstein—would have to shed a tremendous amount of salary to receive a player in a sign-and-trade. If the Mavericks re-sign Jalen Brunson, they’ll likewise go soaring over the apron and could thus take themselves out of the running for a sign-and-trade.

The Lakers and Sixers hypothetically could create enough room under the apron to give themselves access to a sign-and-trade, but they’d have to send out Russell Westbrook and Tobias Harris, respectively, in those deals. They also don’t have the future draft-pick equity to entice the Nets to take on either of those contracts.

The Knicks are the lone team on Irving’s wish list that could credibly sign him outright. After salary-dumping Kemba Walker’s contract on draft night, they’re now projected to have $16.3 million in cap space, according to Spotrac’s Keith Smith. They also have a “growing belief” that they can “shed further salary” if needed, per NBA reporter Marc Stein.

Otherwise, Irving might need to expand his list of acceptable destinations if he does opt out. The Clippers, Mavericks, Lakers and Sixers likely wouldn’t be realistic sign-and-trade options given their proximity to the apron.

Irving could always threaten to sign with a contender via the taxpayer mid-level exception, which is projected to start at roughly $6.4 million. However, teams can’t offer more than a three-year, $20.1 million contract with the taxpayer MLE, which is $16.8 million less than Irving could earn next season alone by just picking up his player option.

Irving did just sacrifice more than $17 million this past season because of his refusal to get a Covid-19 vaccine, which made him ineligible to play home games for the Nets until March. If any NBA player is willing to punt on tens of millions of dollars out of principle, it’s probably him.

Then again, Irving could always pick up his player option and threaten to make enough of a ruckus behind the scenes to derail the Nets’ 2022-23 campaign before it even starts. At that point, they might be compelled to work on an opt-in-and-trade if only to rid themselves of that potential headache.

If Irving opts out and leaves as a free agent, either by signing with the Knicks or taking a mid-level exception with a contender, it would badly damage the Nets as well. They already have $114.9 million in guaranteed salary on their books (including Jevon Carter’s $3.9 million dead cap hit), and they only have six players currently under contract. They wouldn’t have any cap space to replace Irving, so they’d be far better off getting something in return for him in a sign-and-trade or an opt-in-and-trade.

In late May, Kristian Winfield of the New York Dai
DAI
ly News reported that Irving’s decision not to get vaccinated and his “unpredictable injury history” made the Nets “outright willing to give him a long-term extension.” If the two sides can’t come to an amicable compromise between now and Wednesday’s option deadline and Irving leaves in free agency, it could cost them Kevin Durant, too.

“There’s an expectation that Kyrie Irving will now proceed shortly into a finding a new home via an opt-in-and-trade potential situation,” Charania reported on draft night. He added that Durant’s future in Brooklyn is “very much right now in the air.”

If the Nets are willing to offer Irving a short-term extension, if only to ensure they don’t lose both him and Durant, it’s difficult to imagine him turning that down to take the taxpayer MLE elsewhere. But if he feels as though the Nets have irreparably burned bridges during his contract negotiations, an opt-in-and-trade would be his best way to cash in on another contender than a sign-and-trade or opting out.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac or RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.