Kyrie Irving has been a controversial figure in Brooklyn for almost the entirety of his stint with the franchise. Irving and Durant joined the Nets together in 2019, and it seemed to herald a new era for the franchise, but things didn’t go exactly to plan. Kyrie’s availability wasn’t what might have been expected initially, and it was only a sign of things to come.
Irving missed a large part of last season thanks to the vaccine mandate that stopped him from playing home games. Although he eventually got back on the court, it affected the team enough to result in a first-round sweep in the playoffs. The following contract extension saga didn’t help his case either, and Irving’s name has been mentioned in trade reports ever since.
However, Kyrie did opt into his final year and stated his wish to play another year in Brooklyn. The damage seemed done, though, as Kevin Durant then came out with his won trade request. Many expected both the stars to be traded after that, and while it might still happen, Shams Charania has said that Irving has every intention of playing next season with the Nets.
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Are the Brooklyn Nets still trying to win ONE of these @ShamsCharania#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/b67Zf1FbiI
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 25, 2022
“Kyrie Irving, he opted in with the full intent of playing out next season as a Brooklyn Net. From everything I’ve been told, in his mind, he’s playing next year in Brooklyn with or without Kevin Durant in a lot of ways. Kyrie Irving opted in, there was an understanding that he was going to make the best decision for himself and Kevin Durant, on the other hand, is obviously making his decision as well.
“Kyrie Irving has the intent of playing out next season and becoming an unrestricted free agent. If Brooklyn does manage to find a deal for KD, they could then pivot to trade Kyrie. The price tag would be a first round pick or multiple first round picks.”
Having Irving and Durant back with Simmons, even if it is just for a season, might allow the Nets to go for a championship one more time. This is easier said than done, and a lot of things would have to go right for it to happen, but considering the alternative of blowing the team up, they might cash in on Kyrie’s commitment and have them both stay for another season.
