NBA Rumors: Kyrie Irving Trying To Recruit Kevin Durant To This Team

Kyrie Irving might head home, and it sounds like he wants to bring a friend.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday, citing league sources, that Irving, who can opt out of his contract with the Boston Celtics and become a free agent July 1, is serious about potentially signing with the Brooklyn Nets.

Cris Carter explained Friday on FS1’s “First Things First” that he’s hearing the same, adding, per a source, that Irving also is trying to persuade Kevin Durant to sign with Brooklyn. Durant can opt out of his contract with the Golden State Warriors on July 1.

Irving, a New Jersey native, has been heavily linked to the Nets in recent weeks, with Brooklyn reportedly emerging as the frontrunner to sign the All-Star point guard. The Nets made a significant trade Thursday, too, reportedly sending Allen Crabbe to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that cleared $18 million in additional salary cap space and thus allows Brooklyn to hand out two max contracts in free agency.

In other words, an Irving-Durant pairing, which once seemed like a pipe dream for the Nets, now looks like a legitimate possibility for Brooklyn. Of course, the New York Knicks, among others, hope to prevent that from happening in what figures to be a monumental NBA offseason.