A lot of people are keeping an eye on the situation developing with Kyrie Irving since the Brooklyn Nets suspended him. There are real questions about when and where his basketball career will continue if he ever even plays in the NBA again.
Irving has proven throughout his tenure with the Nets that he isn’t someone that can be trusted to remain available to play. Whether it is injuries or self-inflicted, Irving has been sidelined more than he has been on the court with the Nets. His laundry list of reasons for missing games is an extensive one.
That is as big of a reason that he was met with such a poor market this offseason when he explored the possibility of opting out of his contract for the 2022-23 season. The Nets refused to give him a long-term contract and it seemed that teams around the league shared the same sentiment.
As one front office executive shared with The Athletic, Irving isn’t someone his team would touch. But, given his level of talent, he wouldn’t remain jobless very long despite teams being hesitant to commit to him long-term.
“He will not be on (our team), but someone will (want him). They always do for his talent.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Committing any guaranteed money beyond one season seems like a bad decision for anyone to make. But, it would be hard to argue against the notion that Irving is a max player based solely on his skill set and ability to play basketball. There is more that goes into it than production on the court and Irving is learning that the hard way.
There has seemingly been only one team that has shown real interest in acquiring him and that is the Los Angeles Lakers. Some rumors floated around this offseason that Irving was willing to sign with the Lakers on a mid-level exception because that is where he wanted to be. However, even their interest in him seems to have waned.
Landing in Los Angeles with the purple and gold was described as a highly unlikely, if not an impossible landing spot. There are legitimate concerns for the organization about adding him to the mix at any price and have been focused on other things during the season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
But, regardless of where he lands, a pay cut is likely to come as no team is going to invest a large sum of money into a player that cannot be relied upon. This is just the start of what could be an ugly end for Irving.
