2. Kyrie Irving to the LA Clippers
During the off-season, several rumors were made about a trade that would send the crafty play-making point guard Kyrie Irving to the LA Clippers. This addition was highly controversial, as many fans believed Irving would cause problems in the Clippers’ locker room.
ESPN Sources: If Kyrie Irving can’t reach an agreement to stay with Brooklyn, he has a list of teams he’d like them to consider on sign-and-trades, including Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, Heat, Mavs and 76ers. None of those teams have cap space to sign him without Nets’ help.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 23, 2022
A talent like Irving would elevate the chances that the Clippers win it all. However, he is not always available during an 82-game season. At times it has to do with health, and the rest is his off-the-court drama. This would break the chemistry within the locker room and hold the Clippers back from their full potential.
In this trade package, Bleacher Report has the LA Clippers giving up some of the team’s best role players: Norman Powell, Robert Covington, and Reggie Jackson. On the flip side, the Brooklyn Nets would trade away Edmond Sumner and Irving.
This trade takes away the Clippers’ roster depth and adds many issues. Excluding the start of this season, Irving has played a total of 103 games since joining the Nets in 2019-20. On top of that, Sumner has shown only one promising season throughout his five years playing in the NBA.
A move like this gives the Clippers little to no benefits at all. While there may be hype around Irving’s name, he has flaws that would ultimately harm what the franchise aims to build. There are not many key pieces the front office would involve in a trade for a player like Irving, let alone three important contributors.