NBA Trade Rumors: Kyrie Irving never asked for a trade, wants to play for Nets

NBA Trade Rumors: According to a recent report, Kyrie Irving fully intends to play for the Brooklyn Nets. He never asked for a trade.

As the Brooklyn Nets continue to search for the right trade for both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, there’s another possible twist that has been reported.

According to a recent report, Kyrie says that he never asked for a trade from the Nets and that he would be willing to play for the team this season. Something that will definitely add some intrigue over the next couple of weeks.

Durant asked for a trade last week and since then, there’s a growing sense that not only will the Nets trade Durant but also Kyrie, who opted into the final year of his contract with the team just before the start of free agency.

"[via New York Post]Another source close to Irving told The Post that the All-Star point guard not only never asked for a trade, but has had every intention of playing for the Nets — with or without Durant."

I suppose this is all technically true. When it was reported that the Nets were giving Kyrie permission to seek sign-and-trade deals, it was more about Kyrie trying to get the max extension that he wanted. Perhaps he never did ask for that, he was just given that permission from the team.

That said, this is probably all just part of the negotiation tactics. Even though Kyrie says – or it’s reported – that he’d be willing to play for the Nets even without Durant on the roster, there’s no bone in my body that believes he’ll be on the roster on opening night.

The Nets are trying to trade both Durant and Kyrie and simply haven’t found any deals to their liking. That’s the biggest reason why both players are still on their roster.

The Nets are clearly pivoting toward a retooling, without Durant and Kyrie. They will both get their trades, sooner or later.