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Some interesting NBA rumors have emerged recently, highlighted by Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving.
Speculation continues to grow surrounding the dynamic point-guard's future amid Nets GM Sean Marks' recent comments at his end-of-season press conference earlier this week. He said Brooklyn is looking for guys that can be available to the team and play selflessly.
Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets have also dominated the NBA rumors of late. They are eager to make it to the playoffs next year. They will be making significant changes soon. It will start with them appointing a new head coach after they recently decided to part ways with James Borrego. Veteran Mike D'Antoni is the leading candidate to replace him as per the latest reports.
Mike D'Antoni frontrunner to land Hornets' coaching job
Veteran head coach Mike D'Antoni is considered a leading candidate to land the Charlotte Hornets' head coaching job as per the latest NBA rumors. D'Antoni last coached the Houston Rockets during the 2019-20 season, leading them to a Western Conference semi-finals appearance. He has made ten appearances in the playoffs in 16 seasons.
D'Antoni has previously coached the LA Lakers, Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks aside from the Rockets. The 71-year-old holds a 672-527 record as a coach. As per Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, D'Antoni is a leading candidate for the Hornets job. Here's what Bulpett wrote in his most recent report:
“I don’t think it’s a done deal or anything, but I know they like the idea of what he can do with LaMelo (Ball) and their running game,” said a source close to the matter. “If D’Antoni can get those guys on his wavelength, that’s going to be an even more fun team to watch.”
Anonymous NBA executive reckons it's hard to see Kyrie Irving leave Kevin Durant
Kyrie Irving expressed his desire to stay with the Brooklyn Nets following his team's first-round series loss against the Boston Celtics in the 2022 playoffs. Sean Marks' recent comments could have upset Irving, though. Here's what Marks said regarding Irving's impending extension recently:
“We haven’t had any of those discussions yet, so it’d be unfair for me to comment on how it looks with us and Kyrie, because, to be quite frank, he has some decisions to make on his own,” Marks said. “So he has to look at what he’s going to do with his player option and so forth with that. But I think we know what we’re looking for. You know, we’re looking for guys that want to come in here and be part of something bigger than themselves — play selfless, play team basketball and be available. And that goes not only for Kyrie but for everybody here.”
As per Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, an executive is uncertain of how Kyrie would've felt about Marks' comments. However, the executive was quick to point out that even if Irving is 'pissed,' it would be hard to see him leave Kevin Durant, who he approached to be teammates with back in 2019.
“I wonder how that’s going to sit with Kyrie,” a league exec said. “You never know with him. Remember, he was saying out loud how he was committed to re-signing with Boston before he changed his mind and went to Brooklyn with KD. But even if he’s pissed about this, could he really do anything about it? It’d be hard to see him turning away from KD after he basically sold him on Brooklyn," read Bulpett's report.
Hornets looking to move on from Gordon Hayward's contract
Hornets forward Gordon Hayward could be on his way out of Charlotte. Hayward has been an impactful presence for the team when healthy, but he has been injury-prone in his two-year stint with the franchise thus far. He has played in only 93 of a possible 154 games over the last two years.
Hayward will earn $30 million next year and $31 million in the 2023-24 NBA season. As per NBA rumors, the Hornets would like to get rid of his contract. Here's what Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com reported regarding this:
"And word from around the league is that the Hornets would like to get away from the oft-injured Gordon Hayward’s contract, which has two years at $30 million and $31.5 million remaining."
Kyrie Irving wanted LeBron James-type influence on the Brooklyn Nets
LeBron James is believed to have had plenty of influence on roster decisions for every team he has been with in his career so far. His former teammate, Kyrie Irving, sought a similar power within the Brooklyn Nets organization when they brought him on board, as per NBA rumors.
Here's what Heavy.com's Steve Bulpett wrote regarding this:
“When Kyrie signed as a free agent, he basically said, ‘I’ll come and I’ll bring Kevin Durant,'” the source told Heavy.com. “And in return, the Nets agreed that he could have a say in the roster decisions.
“It’s not uncommon at all for general managers to talk to their top players about possible trades and free agents. That’s just smart. You’re paying your guy big money, and you want him to be on board. Plus, your guy might have another view of a situation or a player that you haven’t considered. But with Kyrie, they talked this out beforehand. He wanted a situation like LeBron has — or like he thinks LeBron has.”
Irving was instrumental in bringing Kevin Durant on board and has been adamant about staying with the Brooklyn Nets. However, his unavailability during his tenure with the New York-based franchise may result in him losing his voice within the organization even if he re-signs with them.
Nike unlikely to extend Kyrie Irving's shoe deal
Kyrie Irving's signature shoe deal with Nike may no longer exist beyond the 2022-23 NBA season. As per ESPN's latest report, Irving's uncertainty about his NBA future is one of the key reasons why the dynamic guard's signature shoe line may not be sold by Nike beyond next season.
Here's what the report stated:
"Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has long had one of Nike's most popular and profitable signature basketball shoes, but uncertainties surrounding his NBA future have left the company unlikely to extend him to a similar signature deal beyond the 2022-23 season, sources told ESPN."
"Irving has a new edition of his shoe set to debut in the fall, but that is expected to be the final year of a lucrative signature series that he has had with Nike since 2014," sources said.
