Kyrie Irving’s future with the Brooklyn Nets is completely up in the air at this moment. The longer his fortunes are suspended midair, the longer the NBA world waits with bated breath for any sort of news or hint towards his next home.
The main issue keeping him from putting his roots down in Brooklyn for the foreseeable future is the discrepancy over his contract extension. Reportedly, Irving is seeking a long-term deal for the maximum eligible amount of money. While the Nets are more than willing to pay him his full figure, they’d prefer to keep flexibility when it comes to the length of his new contract.
Brooklyn’s hesitation to commit themselves long-term to Irving is certainly understandable, even if it may cost them Durant’s loyalty in the end. If he were to leave the Nets, a reunion with LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers seems to be his most likely next destination.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers might be the team handcuffed enough to want to take a swing on Irving, and if anybody could get Kyrie to recommit to basketball, it’d be King James, arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport. LA is now also eligible to trade two of their future first-round picks and offers Durant the opportunity to play with his old pal, Russell Westbrook, again.
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Normally, a team wouldn’t think twice about committing to a player of Kyrie Irving’s caliber long-term. Still just 30 years old, he just came off a season where he averaged 27.4 points and 5.8 assists while 46.9 percent from the field, 41.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 91.5 from the free throw line.
There’s no reason to believe that he can’t continue to produce at a high level, especially given the more cerebral and technical aspects to his game; truly a player that relies more on skill than athleticism.
The questions surrounding his extension aren’t due to his ability, but rather, it’s his availability that’s been precarious. Last season, after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, Irving was barred from playing home games in Brooklyn due to New York City’s vaccine mandate.
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Ultimately, he only played 29 games throughout the regular season, effectively killing the Brooklyn Nets’ chances at building team chemistry and turning James Harden against the idea of tying his future to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
