Kyrie Irving tried to take the Brooklyn Nets down from the inside. In the end, Irving’s power play failed, and now he’s set to return to Brooklyn next season on a one-year, $36.5 million contract. Of course, with Irving, things are rarely as clean and easy as they should be.
The Nets still don’t have peace with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant
The Nets still on the verge of disaster even after Kyrie Irving opting in.
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Irving had the NBA newscycle in a full nelson over the last week when he threatened to leave the Nets in free agency if he didn’t get a long-term, max contract. The Nets were resolute in their decision not to give Irving long-term money. Irving responded by leveraging his friendship with Nets co-star Kevin Durant to get what he wanted: lose me, and you will likely lose KD, too. After days of speculation, Irving ultimately learned a harsh truth: there was no legitimate market for his game, setting up a prove-it season for the ages next year.
Irving threatened to leave his $36.5 million player option on the table to take a one-year, $6 million elsewhere. Irving gave Brooklyn a list of teams he’d like to be traded to, and the Nets gave him permission to seek out a deal. The only team that actually had interest in Irving was the Los Angeles Lakers, but Brooklyn was never going to take back Russell Westbrook as a matching salary.
The most convenient scenario is the one that ultimately played out: Irving picked up his player option to extend his marriage with Brooklyn by one more year. In typical Irving fashion, he somehow framed his failed power play as “free thinking” with a quote that feels surreal even by his own bizarre standards.
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are now set to return to Brooklyn for the 2022-2023 season, but the future remains very much in doubt from the Nets. Let’s explain.
Kyrie Irving could still try to force a trade from the Nets
You thought the Irving situation was over? It’s never over! ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on a podcast that Irving and Lakers continue to have mutual interest even after he opted into his deal for next season.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Irving could still be moved this offseason:
There are real matters of contention that need to be addressed among Nets ownership, management and players, multiple sources said, and the Nets could still decide to move Irving this offseason or next season.
Several teams are expected to continue to pursue Irving via trade, but his opt-in makes clubs consider more closely whether to trade assets in a deal for a player who will enter unrestricted free agency in 2023.
Irving can no longer get the long-term contract he seeks in a sign-and-trade after opting in, but there’s a chance he could still try to force his way out of Brooklyn. What would that look like? You can start with refusing to play, or only playing if certain conditions are met. We saw James Harden force his way out of Houston by being disinterested and out of shape only a couple years ago. We saw Irving willingly take himself out of games last season by refusing to get the Covid vaccine.
The vaccine fiasco is now over as New York City has dropped its mandate, but it feels foolish to assume everything will be chill with Irving after he was given permission to seek a trade, and failed.
The Nets still have so many questions to answer before they can be considered a legitimate title contender
Brooklyn was considered the championship favorite going into last season with Durant, Irving, and James Harden all in tow. Then Irving was unavailable for most of the season because he refused to take the vaccine, Harden forced a trade to Philadelphia partially because he was upset Irving continued to be unavailable, and injuries to key role players like Joe Harris limited whatever depth the Nets had.
Brooklyn couldn’t even win a playoff game, getting swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics even with Durant and Irving playing every playoff game. At this point, it feels foolish to consider the Nets a realistic title contender in 2023. They have some major problems they need to figure out:
- Ben Simmons’ health: Simmons is an excellent counterpart to Durant and Irving on-paper as one of the league’s best and most versatile defenders. Will Simmons really be ready to go next year, though? He had a serious back surgery in May with a 3-4 month recovery timetable. That would have him back by September, but it’s possible that timetable was always a little optimistic given the severity of the injury. It’s hard to expect Simmons to be operating at his peak form early next season after missing an entire year of basketball during his holdout and then suffering such a scary injury.
- The Nets have too many small guards: The Nets were simply too small on the perimeter last year with Irving, Seth Curry, and Patty Mills all vying for time. What Brooklyn really needs is some bigger wings who can defend and space the floor. Will they try to move Curry or Mills this summer for a piece that fits better?
- What is Joe Harris’ status?: Harris has not played since suffering an ankle injury in Nov. His absence was a crushing blow for Brooklyn’s playoff chances. Harris is about to turn 31 years old, and was never the best athlete even in his prime. As he returns from the ankle injury, can he be counted on to be durable and productive all season?
Coming into next season, Milwaukee, Boston, Miami, and possibly Philadelphia could all be projected ahead of Brooklyn in the East. The Hawks, Bulls, Cavs, and Raptors will be formidable, too. That’s before we even talk about Western Conference contenders.
Brooklyn still has Durant, so they still have a chance. But clearly, this team is a far cry from the one that entered last season as the title favorites.
The Nets will face Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant trade rumors next season if they don’t compete for a championship
Even if Irving does return to the Nets this year, he is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023. It sure seems like the trust between Irving and organization is broken right now. Does either party want to be there long-term?
If Irving does move on, what does Durant do? Durant is starting a four-year contract in the upcoming season that will cover him through 2025-26. There were reports that KD was “mulling his future” with the Nets while Irving attempted his power play. It seems reasonable to expect Durant could be at the center of trade rumors again if Kyrie ultimately leaves town.
To make all of this significantly worse, Brooklyn doesn’t have the option of keeping their own first round draft pick until 2028 because of the James Harden trade. All of these picks and pick swaps are unprotected, expect for 2023.
That is starting to look like an all-time trade haul by Houston.
The stakes for the Nets are still sky-high. Their future is anything but certain. Irving can say he’s committed to coming back to Brooklyn, but the Nets still don’t have peace.
See More:
