Sources around Kyrie Irving have seen Knicks as potential destination if new Nets contract doesn't work out

The Knicks are "expected to be among the interested suitors" if Kyrie Irving and the Nets can’t agree on the terms of a new contract, according to a new report by The Athletic.

Here’s what we know:

Last month, around the NBA Lottery, people around Irving said they saw the Knicks as a potential destination if Irving and the Nets couldn’t work out a new contract.

I don’t know the Knicks’ specific level of interest at the moment. I know that Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has long been a fan of Irving’s game. He was part of the Team USA coaching staff who worked with Irving and other stars in 2016 Olympics, when the U.S. men’s team won the gold medal.

Last month, there were people within the Knicks organization who were wary of acquiring Irving. At that time, people in touch with the Nets expressed skepticism that the club would deal Irving to the Knicks if they ended up trading him.

Irving has a $36.9 million player option for 2022-23. He has until June 29 to decide on the option.

Due to injuries or personal reasons, Irving has played in 103 regular season games for Brooklyn since signing with the Nets in 2019.

He played in 29 games in 2021-22 due to his decision to forgo the COVID-19 vaccine and New York City’s local mandate prohibiting him from playing.

As SNY reported, teams expect the Nets to pursue trade opportunities if they can’t re-sign Irving.

Irving said publicly several times that he’d like to be back in Brooklyn to play alongside Kevin Durant. He and Durant signed with the Nets in 2019.

Nets GM Sean Marks says that Durant is in the loop on personnel decisions. So it’s fair to assume that Durant would have a voice in any conversation that involved trading Irving.

It would be challenging for the Knicks to create the cap space to sign Irving as a free agent. The club would need to trade several veterans to teams with cap space to clear the room. With Irving’s approval, the Knicks and Nets could agree to a sign-and-trade that sent Irving to Manhattan.

The Knicks pursued both Irving and Durant in the summer of 2019. Top decision-makers were wary of acquiring Irving without Durant.

The Knicks still haven’t filled the void at lead guard over the past three years. This offseason, the club knows it has a strong need for a dynamic lead guard.

Irving, if healthy, would certainly fill that void. The club has also been interested in trading up in an effort to draft Jaden Ivey. The price to move up to No. 4 for Sacramento is significant.

Dallas’ Jalen Brunson, Indiana’s Malcolm Brodgon, Cleveland’s Collin Sexton, and Utah’s Mike Conley are among the other guards who will be available via free agency or could be available via trade this offseason.

The Athletic also reports that the Lakers are "expected to be among the interested suitors" if Irving opts out. SNY reported that members of the Lakers had internal discussions about trading for Irving during the season. Some of those who discussed potential deals were open to the idea.

A source said Los Angeles star LeBron James was asked about the idea of trading for Irving by members of the organization. James and Irving won a title together in Cleveland in 2016. Weeks later, Irving requested a trade from Cleveland and the Cavs traded the All-Star guard to Boston. In the years since the trade, Irving and James have been highly complimentary of one another.

It would be challenging for the Lakers to conduct a sign-and-trade due to CBA rules. The most likely path for Irving to get to the Lakers is if he opts in for 2022-23 and Los Angeles trades for him.