Kyrie Irving’s future with the Brooklyn Nets has been a subject of discussion over the last few months. Irving had a strange season with the Nets, where he spent a great deal of time on the sidelines because of the New York vaccine mandate disallowing him from playing home games.
And during the playoffs, the Celtics dominated the Nets, sweeping them in the first round and sending them home.
Irving is a free agent this offseason and is eligible for a max extension. But considering the issues the franchise has had with him over the last few months, there is no guarantee that Irving will get a lucrative long-term deal with Brooklyn.
Kevin Durant’s manager spoke recently in an interview on Hot 97. He was asked about Kyrie Irving and the speculation surrounding his future with the franchise.
He noted that the speculation is natural because this is what happens with star players in the offseason. He noted that the Nets will evaluate their team, and Irving is an excellent player, but when the dust settles, he expects things to be resolved (0:34 onwards):
https://twitter.com/NetsKingdomAJ/status/1528871654415138816
“Let me tell you something about the NBA. When you don’t win an NBA championship, or sometimes even when you do win an NBA championship, the entire summer is built around all of this. When the dust settles, everything somehow resets and gets backs into position, we gotta play ball. Part of what you have to do for your job. I now know, been doing this for 10 years, 7 of the 10 summers has been part of the conversation, because he signed 1-year deals when we were in the Bay… When I look at this stuff now, I can only go off of what I know, what I see. I can see how confusing the constant conversation is. In reality, they lost, so they gotta look at their team. We all know that Kyrie is an elite, skilled basketball player. Honestly, at the end of the day, we’re trying to win a championship. When the dust settles, it focuses on basketball.”
Irving and Durant are very good friends and off the court, and so, one has to presume that Durant will have a big say on whether Irving comes back next season.
Durant is the star of the franchise and the leader of the team, so the front office will be in conversation with him about Irving and how they plan to bring him back.
Irving and Durant are two of the best players in the NBA, and if they have the right pieces surrounding them, they can lead the Nets to the NBA championship. But the Nets’ team construction will be impacted by the contract Irving signs with them.
