Kyrie Irving's Agent Doubles Down on Staying In Brooklyn, Despite Having Been Shafted By The Nets Multiple Times
Find someone who's loyal to you as Kyrie Irving is to the Brooklyn Nets. Seriously.
No matter how many times the Nets' brain trust has swatted away the All-Star guard, who's head and shoulders the best player on the team aside from Kevin Durant, Irving, 30, keeps coming back fully committed to a future in Brooklyn.
The Nets Have Shafted A Loyal Kyrie Irving
Whether it’s GM Sean Marks’ banning of Irving from all team activities over his refusal to get vaxxed or team owner Joe Tsai’s hypocrisy in laying out six steps to prove Irving is not anti-Semitic based on a tweet, it’s seriously a marvel that Kyrie’s willing to come back.
To be clear, there was a New York restriction on Irving, and a Sean Marks-mandated restriction.
The closer we get to the offseason, when Kyrie will be due for a contract extension, the more Irving doubles down, reiterating that he’s optimistic about reaching a new deal despite Brooklyn’s cold feet.
RELATED: KYRIE IRVING, BROOKLYN NETS NEVER REACHED PEAK THANKS TO VACCINE MANDATES
Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes provided an update on the ongoing Irving contract saga, relaying that the ball has been in Brooklyn's court but that no significant talks or interest in an extension has shown.
"Around Kyrie and staying with the Nets? I have reached out to the Nets regarding this," said Kyrie's agent and stepmother, Shetellia Irving.
Irving was the top-voted guard in fan All-Star voting in the Eastern Conference, leading second-place guard James Harden by nearly half a million votes.
Even after all the debacle over the vaccine requirement and accusations of “anti-Semitic” content made by his own team, Irving has the "desire to make Brooklyn home." That's true loyalty.
Even Anti-Defamation League chief Jonathan Greenblatt said that he did not endorse Irving's multi-game ban after Irving tweeted out a link to the Hebrews to Negroes film, but Nets owner Joe Tsai stood his ground and kept Kyrie out of competition until the player could prove that he didn't hate Jews.
But let's not mention Tsai's ties to China's human rights violations.
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
"We have had no significant conversations to date. The desire is to make Brooklyn home," Shetellia Irving added, "with the right type of extension, which means the ball is in the Nets’ court to communicate now if their desire is the same."
Kyrie Irving Remains One Of Brooklyn's Few Stars
After Kevin Durant suffered an MCL sprain on Jan. 8, the team turned to Irving as their leader and his production has remained exceptional.
Irving has been averaging 30.8 points since Durant's injury, continually making his mark late in games with clutch play.
No matter how much Irving has fought to stay on the Nets, Brooklyn continues to test Kyrie’s patience by holding out on their extension. If availability’s the issue, the Nets have to take a deep look in the mirror and ask themselves if it’s a Kyrie issue or a team management issue.
Durant has previously spoken out, saying that Irving is a major reason that he signed a four-year extension in the offseason, amid rumors that he was considering moving to a new team after following a hellish season in 2021-22.
While it’s in Brooklyn’s best interest to bring back Irving, all signs point to the team not ponying up the proper money. And the NBA is a business above all else.
(Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)