The All-Star guard has supposedly apprised the squad that he desires to be traded prior to the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
Kyrie Irving, the All-Star guard, has asked for a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, according to ESPN and The Athletic. It is said that the request resulted from talks regarding an extension that did not please kyrie Irving. This news arrives shortly before the trade deadline, hinting at an ending to his time with the franchise.
Kyrie Irving is allowed to sign an extension, yet the Brooklyn Nets denied him this possibility last summer. His agent, who is also his stepmother Shetellia Irving, admitted to Bleacher Report last week that she reached out to the Nets about a new contract. He is eligible for a four-year agreement which can be worth up to $200 million. “I reached out to the Nets about this particular situation. We haven’t had any important conversations yet. The goal is to make Brooklyn nets home, with the correct type of extension, which means the ball is in the Nets’ court to let us know if they have the same intention,” Shetellia Irving said.
The Brooklyn Nets and kyrie Irving were believed to be moving towards a long-term extension in 2021, when Kevin Durant signed one. However, due to his unreliability in terms of missing games and other reasons, the Nets altered their opinion of a lengthy future with kyrie Irving.
The team opens a five-game homestand this coming Saturday against Washington, with Irving listed as available on the injury report. Even so, it remains uncertain if kyrie Irving will take part in any of those matches. A tweet was posted on Irving’s account just before the first reports of his trade demand and it is difficult to interpret what he was referring to.
Brooklyn nets is 31-20 this season, standing fourth in the Eastern Conference standings entering Friday, and has gone 4-7 since Kevin Durant’s knee injury in January. He is expected to come back during this homestand in order to play in the All-Star Game on February 19th.
Kevin Durant asked for a trade from the Nets last summer as well, but eventually gave up on that idea. Last year at this time around, Brooklyn nets traded James Harden who was part of their “Big Three” along with Kevin Durant and kyrie Irving.
As the deadline approaches, it is unknown what will happen with kyrie Irving and his latest demand. It has been a controversial year for Irving, missing multiple games for reasons unrelated to basketball, announcing his disbelief in the earth being round before apologizing to science teachers and questioning hate speech and antisemitism which caused him to be suspended by the Brooklyn Nets. In November he denied having any antisemitic beliefs. He was also ineligible to participate in many Brooklyn nets games due to New York City’s COVID-19 rules as he refused to get vaccinated. Finally, general manager Sean Marks indicated that availability would be taken into account when considering an extension for kyrie Irving.