NBA All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving has asked the Brooklyn Nets to trade him or he will leave as a free agent in the summer, according to ESPN on Friday.

Irving is in the final year of his four-year, $136.5 million contract with the Nets. The extension talks between him and the team didn't go smoothly. Irving wants a four-year, $198.5 million maximum deal which he can sign until June 30, but the Nets understandably hesitate out of their concerns over Irving's controversy inside and outside the court.

If Irving is sent to another team before the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, he is eligible to sign a two-year, $78.6 million extension with the team until June 30. He doesn't list any preferred destinations this time, but according to ESPN, both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns are interested in trading for him and they will soon be joined by the Dallas Mavericks.

Irving, 30, has averaged 27.1 points and 5.1 assists in 40 games so far this season. He could get 30.1 points per game during the absence of Kevin Durant and was voted into the All-Star Game starting squad. Irving is not a solid orchestrator, but his explosive scoring ability can be very helpful to a team that has a true leader and must win right now.

The Lakers are the perfect destination for Irving on paper. They have LeBron James to run offense, not to mention that he and Irving won the NBA Championship in the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. Anthony Davis, as one of the best big men in today's NBA, can help cover Irving's defensive shortcoming. Meanwhile, Irving can ease the offensive burden on James.

The Suns are a more complicated case. Their biggest problem at the moment is the lack of offensive solution, which Irving can provide. If Devin Booker comes back later from injury, it should be a big problem for him and Irving to coexist since the team has Chris Paul for distribution. Nonetheless, having two small guards and Booker in the starting and clutch time lineups will not be good news for the Suns defensively.

The Mavericks are in need of someone like Irving to play second-in-command to Luka Doncic, who is already the league's best ball-handling offensive core. If Irving joins the team, they can put Spencer Dinwiddie back to the bench to sustain firepower. However, like the Suns, the Mavericks don't have an elite defender to cover Irving's defensive weakness.

Making business with the Nets can be a big obstacle as well. The team is currently fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-20 record. When Durant returns, they are a team that must win at the moment as well. Therefore, the Nets are likely to prefer players who can make instant contributions over future assets in trading Irving.

Judging by what the Lakers, Suns and Mavericks can offer, the purple and gold are likely out of the race first because they don't have anyone that can even interest the Nets unless they are willing to trade James or Davis. The Mavericks can put both Dinwiddie and Christian Wood in the package to sweeten the pot, but it's unlikely to become the best bid the Nets can receive.

The Suns have Deandre Ayton, a full-size, strong and athletic center whom the Nets want more than anything. Paul should be attractive to the Nets too for his playmaking ability and the fact that he only has $15.8 million guaranteed of his salary next season and none for the 2024-25 campaign. Nonetheless, giving up either Ayton or Paul will mean that the Suns are out of the title race at least this season.