NBA Rumors: Nets Eyeing To Pair D’Angelo Russell With Kyrie Irving In Free Agency, Per Brian Lewis

After successfully ending their playoff drought, the Brooklyn Nets will be heading into the 2019 NBA offseason with the goal of building a roster that can legitimately contend for the NBA championship title in the 2019-20 NBA season. The Nets are one of the few NBA teams in the league who have enough salary cap space to chase big names in the 2019 NBA free agency.

In the past months, the Nets have already been linked to several incoming free agent superstars, including Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics. Some might wonder why the Nets are still targeting Irving when they already have D’Angelo Russell, who recently blossomed into an NBA All-Star caliber player, on their roster. However, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, there are some within the Nets’ organization who strongly believe that Irving and Russell could “coexist” in Brooklyn.

“Sources told The Post that some within Barclays Center feel Russell and Irving could actually coexist. And Kevin Boyle — the only man who has coached both — guarantees that together they not only would survive, but would thrive.”

Another huge fan of the D’Angelo Russell-Kyrie Irving Nets tandem is the Celtics superstar’s high school coach, Kevin Boyle. After watching both point guards play on the court, Boyle believes that the Russell-Irving backcourt duo will “1,000 percent” work in Brooklyn.

“I 1,000 percent think that could work. D’Angelo knows Kyrie, likes him, respects him. That could work with both sides. Kyrie could help D’Angelo to that top-10, top-15 level,” Boyle said. “I could see that blending together nicely. Not everybody fits with everybody. I don’t know why in Boston the things didn’t fit [for Irving], but it could fit there.”

Sources tell me there’s mutual interest between Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets — and that the Nets might be willing to pair Irving & D’Angelo Russell in the backcourt.

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— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) May 25, 2019

No one can blame fans for thinking that pairing D’Angelo Russell with Kyrie Irving is a bad idea for the Nets. Irving always needs the ball in his hands to efficiently play on the court like Russell, and he has an unpleasant history when playing alongside younger players with superstar potentials — just ask Terry Rozier, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown of the Celtics. However, Kevin Boyle thinks that the similarities in Russell and Irving’s game are what make them perfect teammates.

Although they are ball-dominant players who know how to create their own shots, D’Angelo Russell and Kyrie Irving are incredible passers and have good on-court vision. Boyle believes that Irving could help Russell develop into a “top-10 or top-15” player and lead the Nets to their first NBA championship title.