Nets Challenging Knicks For Kyrie, Durant, Clear Cap Space With Trade: Report

Kyrie Irving to the Brooklyn Nets in the summer is slowly but surely gathering pace with both player and franchise preparing for a summer union. The Boston Celtics point guard will enter free agency and all signs point toward him joining a new team rather than re-sign with his current employers.

The six-time All-Star had verbally committed to re-signing with the Celtics last October but has backtracked from his statement and is now said to be seriously considering the Nets as his next destination. The Celtics journey did not go as planned and Irving seems keen to end it before it even got off the ground properly.

Irving will not be short of suitors in the summer and it was the New York Knicks that was the frontrunner initially before the Nets entered the race. They have the advantage of being the team the Celtics point guard supported growing up in West Orange, New Jersey.

The Brooklyn franchise is now the frontrunners, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Moreover, the NBA insider reports the Nets are getting ready to make a big push in the free agency market and are said to be targeting at least one more player apart from Irving.

“Kyrie Irving is serious about the Nets -- and the Nets are serious about beating the Knicks -- and rest of league -- to the biggest free agents in the marketplace, per league sources,” Wojnarowski wrote.

Brooklyn is trading Allen Crabbe, their No. 17 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and a protected first round pick in 2020, to Atlanta Hawks for Taurean Prince and a second round 2021 pick. This will see them clear $18 million in cap space giving them a total of $36 million in max salary cap space.

They can now afford to sign Irving while also retaining D’Angelo Russell, who is a restricted free agent. But another option will be to cut Russell lose, which sees them hit over $60 million in max salary cap space that will give them an option to sign two max free agents.

The Nets are likely to make a play for Kevin Durant, who has been the Knicks’ top target this summer. The New York franchise is reportedly keen to partner the Golden State Warriors small forward with Irving, but the two players could now end up in Brooklyn.