Getty Kyrie Irving brings the ball up during a matchup with the Indiana Pacers.
The Brooklyn Nets and their star point guard Kyrie Irving did not find common ground on the terms of a new deal this past summer. As a result, he will be an unrestricted free agent in 2023. After missing the majority of last season because he refused to get vaccinated, the Nets were skeptical about offering Irving a long-term deal. This year was viewed as a ‘prove it’ year for the All-Star guard, an opportunity to show the Nets that he is worth a new contract.
But the season has started disastrously in Irving’s quest for a new deal. Not only on the court, as the Nets are in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, but also off the court. It has made his future in Brooklyn look increasingly grim.
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Exec Says Long Term Deals Not in Kyrie’s Future
Not only is Irving’s future with the Nets in doubt, but so is his NBA future. He has never played a full season since he entered the league in 2011 and has not played more than 60 games since the 2018-19 season when he was with the Boston Celtics. It has brought into question if Irving’s talent outweighs his unavailability.
One NBA executive told Sam Amick of “The Athletic” that some teams will be ‘desperate’ enough to give Irving a shot, but they will probably only sign him to one-year deals from here on out.
“There’s always going to be a team that’s desperate enough to sell their soul for the guy on a short-term deal, thinking they have the right leadership in place to handle him. I think whatever happens with him, it’s gonna be one-year deals from here on out,” the executive said to “The Athletic”.
“I don’t think anybody gives him a long-term deal. You just can’t. … How do you justify giving him a long-term deal now with a history that he never plays a full season? You just can’t trust that he’s gonna do the right thing.”
Exec: Irving’s Decisions ‘Career-Hampering’
Irving will probably leave the game as one of the most skilled players in NBA history, but every season there seems to be something that causes him to miss time due to non-injury-related reasons.
In 2021 he reportedly missed time in response to the January 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill. Last year he only played 29 games because the Nets sidelined him for not being vaccinated. And this year, the team suspended him for not apologizing for sharing the link to the film that featured anti-Semitic tropes.
Another executive told “The Athletic” that the drama Irving has accumulated during his Nets tenure is not career-ending but it has been detrimental to his future.
“I don’t know (what happens with Irving), but it’s really bad where he stands with things and some of the stuff he’s done. It’s very unfortunate, but I do think there’s a team or two that would take him. I don’t think this is (career-ending),” the executive said.
“I don’t. I mean, certainly, it’s career-hampering. It’s detrimental to his career. It’s going to reduce his market. And for every player, that matters at some point. As you age, it gets harder. But I do think there’s one or two teams that would take him, or maybe even a couple more (than that).”
With Irving still serving his suspension, it will be interesting to see when the Nets allow him to return.