When news broke on Friday that Kyrie Irving has demanded a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, everyone was in a rush to talk about what teams might be interested in acquiring the mercurial All-Star.
But the teams themselves? There aren't many that would have a suitable trade package for Irving, and the ones that would are hesitant to give up major asset for, and commit to, a guy who is a threat to blow your season to pieces at any minute.
On the whole, the league appears more interested in how Kevin Durant might be reacting to this news and whether he might reinstate his own trade demand with Brooklyn's season seemingly back on the brink, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The bigger issue for Brooklyn becomes how All-NBA star Kevin Durant responds to Irving's trade request, and if it causes him to rethink his future with the organization ahead of Thursday's deadline. Numerous teams are far more interested in how that situation could play out than in trying to inquire on Irving.
Prior to the season, Irving had sought the possibility of a sign-and-trade, but interest around the league was minimal and Irving finally decided to opt into the final year of his contract. Durant had requested an offseason trade before rescinding the request in September.
You can see the falling-dominos line of thinking here. Had the Nets been able to find a deal for Irving last summer, Durant very well could have followed. Or vice versa. Irving and Durant have the feel of a package deal in Brooklyn. It doesn't have to be that way. The Nets could trade Irving for a good return and use that to restock Durant with a title-contending cast.
But does Durant want that? Even if he would be amenable to such an on-the-fly scenario taking shape with the deadline less than a week away, is anyone ultimately going to offer that good a package for Irving? The uncertainty of it all is what potential Durant suitors would be looking to exploit.
If Irving does get dealt, buckle up. A Durant deal could follow. Teams will certainly be lining up for the possibility. And here we thought this might be a relatively quiet deadline.
