Flash forward to now, with Irving again requesting a trade from Brooklyn a week before the Feb. 9 deadline. Not only have the Clippers made a strong offer to the Nets for Irving, but Lue is also ready to reunite with his former player, league sources who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the subject tell The Athletic. – via Law Murray @ The Athletic
And though Mann admitted to The Athletic that he doesn’t know Irving as well as some of his veteran teammates, he noted the respect Irving has around the league, echoing a sentiment many players have when Irving’s name comes up. “He’s a great player, everybody knows that,” Mann told The Athletic Saturday night. “Everybody also knows that he does his thing, with his decisions, and you got to respect that. Got to respect his résumé. You got to respect what he wants. Guys know what’s going on. It’s hard to say, because we don’t really know. Some of us don’t really know him like that. Other guys do. But nobody really talks about it that much.” – via Law Murray @ The Athletic
The LA Clippers have not only been scouring the trade deadline market for an upgrade at point guard, but also “have assets that the Nets actually might want” in a potential trade for Irving, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “The LA Clippers have been the team that has been leading the pursuit of point guards in this trade deadline market. I think that the Clippers would be skeptical of going for Kyrie Irving and upsetting the balance that they have. Having said that, the Clippers have assets that the Nets actually might want. They have players under contract, under control that if you traded, that might actually get the Nets more interested than an expiring Russell Westbrook contract. Because I don’t think that the Lakers can honestly give those [future first-round picks] for Kyrie Irving if he’s a possible rental. And that’s really the issue here is, do you value him as a rental or do you value him as a player you have to try and pay?”
– via Jack Winter @ Clutch Points
Tyronn Lue open to reuniting with Kyrie Irving?
Law Murray: Sources tell @TheAthletic that the LA Clippers have made a strong offer to the Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving, and that head coach Tyronn Lue is open to coaching Irving again after the two won a championship with Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. – via Twitter LawMurrayTheNU
Andrew Greif: The Clippers are indeed among the teams that are suitors for adding Kyrie Irving, a source confirmed to @latimes. There are connections up and down the roster to his time in Cleveland, of course. – via Twitter AndrewGreif
