Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
With Kyrie Irving requesting a trade out of Brooklyn, the Suns have already been named a potential landing spot. Is a swap with Chris Paul on the cards?
The Kyrie Irving saga in Brooklyn looks like it’s about to end with a trade.
The star guard who has been more trouble than he’s been worth to the Nets in four years with the team reportedly requested a trade with the deadline fast approaching.
Who could step up to give him a fresh start? According to Shams Charania, the Lakers, Mavericks and Suns have already “emerged as potential suitors.”
Phoenix is a particularly interesting trade partner because that could mean a swap involving Irving and Chris Paul.
Could Chris Paul be traded to the Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving?
A tweet from Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report only fueled the fires speculating over Paul and Irving.
“Phoenix is viewed as one of the few teams capable of facilitating a deal with Brooklyn that could keep both teams in championship pursuit,” Haynes tweeted.
So is a Paul for Irving actually realistic?
The first thought from some might be that the Nets wouldn’t be interested in the 37-year-old point guard. However, he shot 45.3 percent from three-point range and averaged 15.3 points and 7.7 assists in 16 games after returning from a heel injury in December. He sat out a few weeks with a hip problem in January but returned in similar form, hitting 42.4 percent of his shots from beyond the arc with 18.5 points and 9.2 assists per game in six since he got back in the lineup.
Paul still has good basketball to give and he could the veteran voice the Nets locker room needs to make a playoff run.
Is a trade involving Irving and Paul, with Jae Crowder or another Suns asset, the most likely outcome of this whole situation? Probably not. But if Kevin Durant isn’t also looking to ditch Brooklyn, it’s got to be on the table.