As the Los Angeles Lakers send one of their top recruiters to Brooklyn to meet with impending star free agent Kyrie Irving, it’s looking like the former NBA champ will opt for the Nets.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Irving and the Nets are expected to meet at the start of free agency Sunday evening with the expectation that they’ll come to terms on a contract in short order.
As the report notes, Brooklyn is expected to offer Irving a full four-year, $141 million max contract. He’ll almost undoubtedly commit to said deal Sunday evening.
Despite being one of the highest-profile free agents on the market, Irving has drawn a lot of criticism for what was a drama-filled 2018-19 season in Boston. It led to the Celtics honing in on All-Star guard Kemba Walker, who will commit to signing in Boston Sunday evening.
If the Irving deal does indeed go through, Brooklyn would still have the opportunity to add a second max-contract player. It is one of four teams in on Kevin Durant. Meanwhile, the Nets extended a qualifying offer to D’Angelo Russell on Friday, making him a restricted free agent. The team’s brass reportedly likes the idea of teaming Russell up with Irving in the back court.