The Brooklyn Nets decided to hold Kyrie Irving out of all of their games for the foreseeable future. Irving has not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine, which would have made him a part-time player with the Nets.
Deciding that they would only allow full-time eligible players to participate, Irving will be sidelined until he complies with the mandate that New York City has. It is anyone’s guess as to when that will happen, if it will at all, so the Nets are preparing for life without their starting point guard.
There are plenty of repercussions from Irving’s decision. For the team, there will be plenty of changes to the rotation and lineups. Steve Nash will now have to figure out who he wants taking over the starting point guard spot.
Will it be James Harden moving over as the lead facilitator? Or will someone such as Patty Mills or Jevon Carter be tasked with running the offense for the starting five?
For Irving, his future with the Nets is now in doubt. Brooklyn took the extension off the table that was worth $186 million. Irving will also forfeit nearly $15 million for all of the games he is going to miss at Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden.
Could the 2021 NBA postseason have been the last time we saw Irving in a Nets uniform? It very well could have been, as Shams Charania revealed on an appearance on ‘The Glue Guys’ podcast that the Nets are at least open to trade offers involving Irving now.
“I think rival teams right now feel that Brooklyn is at least open to hearing any types of significant offers. I think everything’s on the table at this point.”
Figuring out a trade involving Irving is not an easy thing to do. His representatives have said he would just retire should the Nets trade him. He also has virtually zero trade value, with the potential retirement likely playing a part.
But, it is not surprising that the Nets are now open to at least hearing offers. While players like Kevin Durant might be disappointed if Irving was traded, he is not helping the team in their quest for a championship being unvaccinated and ineligible for more than half the games in the season.
