Offloading Allen Crabbe's Contract Makes Nets Favorites to Land Kyrie Irving

There has been much speculation on where free agent Kyrie Irving may end up next season. The point guard has been linked to various teams, most recently the Brooklyn Nets. Following the trade which removed Allen Crabbe and his gargantuan contract, Brooklyn should be considered the favorite for Irving's signature.

By trading Crabbe, the 17th overall pick, and a future protected first-rounder to the Atlanta Hawks for Taurean Prince and a 2021 second-rounder, the Nets have opened up $18M in cap space giving them $46M to sign a max free agent.

Should the Nets go against the grain and not retain restricted free agent D'Angelo Russell, they could have even more money to work with, though it's widely expected that they'll extend the guard to a long-term deal.

The Nets sacrificed draft stock in order to pursue star talent as it looks like the team is finally ready to contend for a championship. Landing Irving will be step one in their road to the NBA Finals.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets are serious about landing Kyrie Irving and he seems serious about coming to Brooklyn as well. Now that they've cleared up the finances, this seems like even more of a possibility.

While he's been linked to various other teams, most notably the Lakers and Knicks, as of now, it looks like Irving's preferred destination will be at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.