After an early and disappointing exit from the 2021 NBA playoffs, the Brooklyn Nets enter a moved offseason. They tried to assemble a championship team with trades and buyout signings. Still, things fell apart when some key players went down with injuries.
Nevertheless, it seems like they could make more moves this summer, including moving one of their best players. Kyrie Irving didn’t have the best season after all his controversies and the time he missed in the middle of the campaign. That situation reportedly didn’t sit well with certain people within the organization, and he could be living his last days as a Net.
According to Matt Sullivan, author of “Can’t Knock the Hustle: Inside the Season of Protest, Pandemic, and Progress with the Brooklyn Nets’ Superstars of Tomorrow,” the point guard hit some nerves with his attitude, and the team could listen to offers for him.
Via Celtics Lab 52:
Celtics Lab: “Kyrie Irving has a player option for ’22-’23. Kevin Durant has a player option for ’22-’23, and James Harden has a player option for ’22-’23. Do you think that the Brooklyn Nets win a championship in, let’s say the next five years, and is it with that big three?”
Matt Sullivan: “Let me give you guys a little news, I’m not sure that’s been out there. I’ve heard that Nets ownership was quite upset with Kyrie’s ‘pause,’ especially that maskless party that turned his pseudo-paternity leave into more like a COVID suspension. And in the last week I’ve heard rumblings – whispers, really, because cracking the Nets is kind of like breaking into the Kremlin, that Brooklyn GM Sean Marks would maybe, possibly, apparently be willing to at least listen to a trade offer for Kyrie this offseason.
Now, I’m not sure what the market for Kyrie is at this point. It’s not like Ben Simmons giving you the headache on the court. It’s that complex personality that comes from off the court. I think it’s been annoying some people in the franchise. I can’t speak to his teammates, who obviously want to play with one of the world’s best and get him back there.”
It would be interesting to see if the Nets want to cut ties with Kyrie after only two seasons. Truth be told, the player did miss time for ‘personal reasons’ that pissed many people off.
He did deliver when he stepped on the court, but his off-court antics might cost him his spot on the Nets for the next season. The New Yorkers are up for an entertaining offseason after failing to win the championship with their Big 3.
