Brooklyn Nets: Kyrie Irving could be piece of a trade for James Harden

The Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets are reportedly talking about a trade for James Harden. Including Kyrie Irving in the deal could simplify things.

As the NBA’s official transaction moratorium nears its end, there appears to be a blockbuster deal being negotiated between the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets for James Harden.

Depending on the framework of such a deal, it’s one that could in theory assist both teams in reaching their goals. The Nets are under intense pressure to compete for a championship, and the Rockets are going nowhere fast with a rebuild looming.

You can’t rebuild with James Harden, but you can’t compete for a championship with the parts the Rockets currently have. On the other hand, Harden could be the missing piece alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn.

Or, perhaps, just Durant, and not Irving.

It’s rumored that Irving is among the players on the Nets roster who isn’t eager to see James Harden come join forces. That’s understandable because Harden carries a massive load on offense and the argument that there aren’t enough balls to go around between this Big 3 might actually carry some water.

So what if instead of adding Harden to the current top duo, Kyrie Irving was included in the deal to bring him to Brooklyn?

The NBA is a cold world sometimes, and this would be a frigid outcome for Irving. He was recruited to Brooklyn in the first place by Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie and brought Kevin Durant with him. Ostensibly, the Nets culture was a big asset to them, although they quickly rewrote it by facilitating head coach Kenny Atkinson’s firing and then the hiring of new head coach Steve Nash.

No matter what, there will be trades coming out of Brooklyn. Dinwiddie has been rumored to be a likely piece in any deal, but it’s hard to add up a package involving him, and say Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen and bring back a superstar like James Harden.

That equation may change if you swap Kyrie Irving for one of those pieces. Whether he would go back to the Rockets or be moved elsewhere in a three-team deal, trading Irving makes sense both from a salary-matching perspective and because the trio of Harden, Durant and Irving simply may have a hard time meshing.

Kevin Durant and James Harden have history together. They’ve played in the NBA Finals together with the OKC Thunder, coming up short against LeBron James and his Miami Heat. The reunion of this pairing may be Harden’s best chance at getting another chance at a championship, and if Irving doesn’t want to be part of it, perhaps he can play a role as an asset instead of on the floor.

There may be a million moving parts in this possible transaction, and it’s likely there could be multiple teams involved. The Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks all have plenty of cap space and could potentially be landing spots for components in any deal, easing the path for a completed transaction.

As we get ready for what promises to be a crazy trade period, remember that Kyrie Irving’s role in all of this may not be exactly what you expect it to be for the Brooklyn Nets.