The Brooklyn Nets surprisingly had a chance to acquire Jaylen Brown, but they turned him down for a strange reason. Brown’s previous comments supporting Kyrie Irving against the Nets during their NBA drama a few years ago led to ownership shutting it down. The previous story of Irving sharing allegedly antisemitic video links saw the Nets suspending him and Brown speaking out in defense of him.
Brian Lewis of the NY Post revealed more about the Nets turning down Brown:
“Sources told The Post that not only did the Celtics offer Brown to the Nets, but that the former Finals MVP was more than willing to join the Nets. It was the Nets that declined, according to sources, not about Boston’s asking price, but to avoid ‘another Kyrie Irving situation.’
Brown is close with Irving, who was a Net from 2019-23 but demanded a midseason trade after a litany of dramas and controversies. Jaylen Brown publicly defended Kyrie Irving after his suspension for promoting an antisemitic video, calling Nets owner Joe Tsai’s criticism of Irving ‘alarming.’ Brown later criticized Tsai directly, questioning his business relationships and suggesting he also needed to be held accountable.”
The commentary from Brown calling out Nets owner Joe Tsai for his business ties likely played a bigger role. Irving’s Brooklyn ended with two nightmare seasons of missing time due to vaccine mandates, team suspensions, and his demand of a trade. The Nets traded Kyrie to the Dallas Mavericks that season and have been rebuilding ever since.
Why Brooklyn Nets Feared Jaylen Brown Trade
Irving using his platform to make controversial stances led to the Nets getting thrown into the media fire. Protests were held outside of Barclays Center when Kyrie couldn’t play due to the vaccine mandate and when he was suspended for the controversial links shared.
Many NBA pundits blame Irving for the Brooklyn “big three” with Kevin Durant and James Harden failing. Injuries doomed their first season when the Nets looked like the clear-cut best team in the league when healthy.
However, things fell apart one season later when Kyrie refused to get vaccinated to work as per New York state rules at the time. Harden requested a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers that landed them a failing Ben Simmons. Durant then requested his own trade after Irving requested a trade one season later.
Why Brooklyn Nets Likely Made A Mistake
Almost every NBA team has at least one star player or someone they view becoming that. The Nets do have Michael Porter and Julius Randle, but neither veteran is considered a face of the franchise beyond the short-term rebuild.
Young players Egor Demin and Mikel Brown are talented young prospects with star potential, but neither have shown enough to fully believe in them. Boston sending them Brown at a low trade price could have given them an All-NBA player.
Brown has spoken against the Nets in the past, but that was over the Irving controversy. Nothing has indicated he’d refuse to play for Brooklyn, and he’s given his best on the court at all times through his career. The trade package of Porter and two draft picks would have likely won out over Philadelphia to give the Nets a new franchise player they badly need.
Nets Refused Jaylen Brown Trade Offer Because Of Kyrie Irving