Kyrie Irving doesn’t want to be a Brooklyn Net, and the Nets don’t want Kyrie Irving to stay on the team on a new long-term contract after his lack of availability in the last few seasons. While Brooklyn looks to figure out what they will do with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving looks to return to the team unless the Lakers can convince Brooklyn to trade him to them.
Irving’s availability is up in the air, but his skill is never in question. Even in the tumultuous 2021-22 season, Irving managed to have a 60-point game. Moments like that prove that Irving can still compete as one of the best players in the world.
It seems Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai recognizes that. After Tsai allegedly was against giving Irving a max contract extension, he seems to be making up for that by praising Kyrie publicly. He shared a tweet with legendary NYC point guards naming players that could survive on the playgrounds of NYC. While some people named players like James Harden, LeBron James, etc., Kyrie was the name that was most common. Joe Tsai shared the video by echoing his agreement on Twitter.
Truth https://t.co/ybVEO2FEuK
— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) July 29, 2022
This is most definitely Joe Tsai looking out for the player that he is paying $36 million for the season. Irving’s talent is undoubted, so the Nets will be better off if he is still on the court this season, preferably alongside Kevin Durant.
If Tsai has changed his mind about extending Kyrie to a long-term deal, the star guard may be more receptive to re-opening contract talks this summer. All of that depends on what happens with KD because if KD is moved, Irving will naturally have to follow. If the team isn’t competitive, there is no reason for an already dissatisfied Irving to see the season out. It’s a tough situation, but Tsai seems to have plans to do some reconciliation with Kyrie.
