Kyrie Irving might head home, and it sounds like he wants to bring a friend.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday, citing league sources, that Irving, who can opt out of his contract with the Boston Celtics and become a free agent July 1, is serious about potentially signing with the Brooklyn Nets.
Cris Carter explained Friday on FS1’s “First Things First” that he’s hearing the same, adding, per a source, that Irving also is trying to persuade Kevin Durant to sign with Brooklyn. Durant can opt out of his contract with the Golden State Warriors on July 1.
"The interest in Brooklyn is real from Kyrie, that's been known for a long time. And I have a source that tells me Kyrie is trying to pursue Kevin Durant. He has reached out to KD and tried to persuade him [to come to the Nets]." — @criscarter80 pic.twitter.com/EFEaWlptnp
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) June 7, 2019
Irving, a New Jersey native, has been heavily linked to the Nets in recent weeks, with Brooklyn reportedly emerging as the frontrunner to sign the All-Star point guard. The Nets made a significant trade Thursday, too, reportedly sending Allen Crabbe to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that cleared $18 million in additional salary cap space and thus allows Brooklyn to hand out two max contracts in free agency.
In other words, an Irving-Durant pairing, which once seemed like a pipe dream for the Nets, now looks like a legitimate possibility for Brooklyn. Of course, the New York Knicks, among others, hope to prevent that from happening in what figures to be a monumental NBA offseason.
