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Kyrie Irving will likely play one more season in Brooklyn. Beyond that, who knows.
The superstar guard signed on to his player option this past offseason, meaning he’ll make $37 million in the upcoming campaign. The Nets refused to give Kyrie a max deal, though, following a drama filled 2021.
Irving was held out of Brooklyn home games due to his vaccination status. He only played in 29 games last year.
Now, when on the court, he’s a star. Irving averaged over 27 points a game in those 29 appearances, teaming up with Kevin Durant to form a deadly duo.
But it seems sometimes that the commitment to the team isn’t always there.
A new report from an NBA insider might confirm those beliefs.
Kyrie wanted the Nets to guarantee he’d play 60 games or less
Ric Bucher dropped a bombshell about the Nets earlier this week when he said that Ben Simmons ghosted teammates when asked about playing Game 4 of their playoff series with the Celtics last season.
Now, he’s breaking more news in Brooklyn.
Bucher went on the air during his podcast to discuss the Kevin Durant situation. The star player has asked to be traded if coach Steve Nash isn’t fired.
While talking about KD, he commented on Kyrie Irving’s contract negotiations with the Nets.
Here’s what he had to say.
“Joe Tsai has already shown he’s willing to play hardball with Kyrie by taking a max extension off the table almost immediately. Now, part of that may be Kyrie’s doing. I’m told he wanted his new contract to guarantee he wouldn’t have to play more than 60 games in a season and would not have to play any back-to-backs, which he apparently referred to as inhumane.”
Bucher states that Kyrie asked the Nets to put clauses in his contract which would guarantee his playing 60 games or less each season. He also didn’t want to play back-to-back games.
If these reports are true, it further solidifies many fans’ thoughts on Irving’s commitment to his team. The Nets already have one player in Ben Simmons who has many questioning his desire to play. And KD, who wants to play, apparently does not want to do so in Brooklyn.
The drama in the Big Apple continues for the Nets.
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