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Handicapping how the Kyrie Irving Nets drama will play out, from sitting out to getting traded

NBA OFFSEASON DRAMA TIME!!

That’s right, Kyrie Irving has completely stirred everything up before free agency begins, with reports that he’s gotten permission to seek a sign-and-trade instead of sticking with the Brooklyn Nets.

What’s funny is that ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski then reported “no known teams” beyond the the Los Angeles Lakers are interested, and even then, the Nets aren’t intrigued by what the Lake Show could offer.

It’s wild stuff. And there are a lot of ways this could end.

So let’s handicap which of the possibilities are out there, from least likely at the moment to most likely:

5
He opts in and plays out the year with the Nets and/or signs an extension (+10000)

Uh, nope. No way. If he’s reportedly asked to explore a sign-and-trade, it’s probably over for the Nets and Irving.

Also, this was said just on Sunday:

Right. OK, next.

4
He gets a sign-and-trade somewhere (+800)

You heard Woj!

That likely means teams are willing to bet he hits the free agent market and the Nets lose him without getting anything back. Welp.

3
He opts out and signs for big money (+700)

Some team has to be REALLY desperate (the Knicks might fall into that category but …) and willing to overlook injury history and the absurdity of last season, when he refused to be vaccinated.

Could it happen? Maybe? But I still don’t think that’s likely.

2
He retires or sits out for the year (+200)

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Let’s say the Lakers don’t sign or sign-and-trade for him. Or that any of the other 28 teams left want him.

I could see him saying, “I’ll wait until a contender needs me.”

But given what we’ve seen from Irving in the past few years, would it really be that shocking if he just retired?

1
He signs a small contract with a contender (+100)

The leader in the clubhouse, because …

If Irving is really willing to take a smaller deal this year to bet on himself and get a big extension next summer, that could be the best solution for him.

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