Getty Sean Marks, Brooklyn Nets general manager
This Summer, Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving will be eligible to sign an extension with the Nets for 4-years, $184 million, or for 5-years, $248 million. The extension would pay him $42.7 million per year, which would make him the seventh highest-paid player in the NBA. But many are wary of if the Nets should ink the All-Star guard to a long-term extension.
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Nets’ Sean Marks Has Strong Ultimatum for Kyrie Irving
Irving only played 29 games for the Nets during the 2022 season because his refusal to get the COVID vaccination made him ineligible to play home games at Barclays Center for most of the year. Nets’ General Manager Sean Marks says that no decision has been made by the team yet on whether or not they will offer Kyrie a max extension this summer.
“I think we know what we’re looking for. We’re looking for guys that want to come in here and be part of something bigger than themselves, play selfless, play team basketball, and be available. That goes not only for Kyrie but for everybody here,” Marks said to reporters on May 11 per Kristian Winfield of the “New York Daily News”.
“I think those are going to be discussions. It’s a team sport and you need everybody out there on the court. We saw this year when you have, Kevin missed 27 games with injuries and Kyrie being out for over half the season, that hurts. That hurts from a roster-building standpoint. That’s not what we planned for. Some are avoidable and other excuses are of individual nature and those are the ones that we have to try and avoid”
#Nets Sean Marks noncommittal discussing long-term extension for Kyrie Irving: “We need people here that want to be here, that are selfless, that want to be part of something bigger than themselves. There’s an objective and there’s a goal at stake here.”
Marks Says Irving’s Absences Will Be a Factor in His New Deal
Irving missing games for the Nets was a problem far before the COVID vaccine mandate was even a thought. Since his arrival in Brooklyn, the All-Star point guard has yet to play a full season for the Nets. In fact, he has only played in 102 out of a possible 246 regular season games since his Nets debut in 2019. Marks says that Irving’s track record of absences will be a factoring decision in whether or not they offer him a long-term deal.
“100 percent. We have to factor all of that in. Honestly, where we are, when you’re giving someone a minimum contract and it doesn’t pan out, it still factors into how you’re building a roster. So certainly, when you’re looking at players that are making $30-40 million dollars, you have to factor in everything,“Marks continued.
“That’s the hard part of the business. We can all see what they can do on the court. It’s one thing when you’re evaluating players, whether it’s at the college level or the pros. What makes them tick? What drives them? Do they want to be part of this? Are they motivated by something that’s not good for the whole team? So those are questions we’re going to have to ask ourselves and also ask players that we wanna bring back here.”
Kyrie will become extension eligible on July 1. It will be interesting to see if the Nets decide to ink him to a long-term deal.
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