Clippers Trade Rumors: Luke Kennard, Terance Mann, More Were Offered for Kyrie Irving

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Before the Brooklyn Nets traded Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, the team reportedly had another offer on the table from the Los Angeles Clippers.

“League sources say the Clippers offered Luke Kennard, Terance Mann, one future first, and two first-round pick swaps,” The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor wrote. “An additional salary would’ve been required to complete the trade, but that was the gist of it.”

The Nets shipped Irving to the Mavericks in exchange for veteran point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, swingman Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick, and 2027 and 2029 second-round picks. Dallas’ offer was deemed “better” than Los Angeles’, per O’Connor.

At 30-26, the Clippers sit in second place in the Pacific Division and fourth in the Western Conference. Star forwards Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have missed significant time throughout the year, though they’re both currently back in the lineup. They combined for 65 points in Saturday’s 134-128 overtime win against the New York Knicks.

With Leonard and George on the roster, the Clippers were expected to be perennial title contenders. However, the duo has struggled to stay on the court together since they joined Los Angeles in 2019.

Leonard missed the entire 2021-22 season while recovering from knee surgery and played fewer than 60 games in each of the previous two years. George has also failed to appear in at least 55 games in any of his three full seasons with the Clippers.

Until Leonard and George prove they can stay healthy, it’s hard to take the Clippers seriously as contenders. Trading for Irving would have filled a hole at the point guard position and perhaps put L.A. in the upper echelon of the Western Conference.

Ironically, the Clippers will conclude their six-game road trip on Monday night against the Nets.