Kyrie Irving Planning On Playing For Brooklyn Nets During 2022-23 Season
The Brooklyn Nets have had one massive headache of an offseason to this point and their drama is far from over.
Not only is the team working with multiple players, including the likes of Ben Simmons, T.J. Warren and Joe Harris, in order to ensure that they are healthy for the start of the 2022-23 season, but Kevin Durant requested a trade from the team hours before free agency began on June 30.
Since then, almost every team in the league has tried to put together their best trade package for the generational talent, even though he is now 33-years-old and tore his Achilles in 2019.
The only problem is that the trade market has been destroyed ever since the Minnesota Timberwolves gave up a stockpile of assets for All-Star center Rudy Gobert. No team in the league has been able to meet the asking price the Nets have put on Kevin Durant, which has caused some tensions to escalate between Durant and the organization.
On Monday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Kevin Durant and Nets owner Joseph Tsai met over the weekend and Durant was adamant about Tsai choosing either him or GM Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash.
Tsai has since gone on Twitter and publicly supported both his front-office and head coach, making many believe that Durant’s days in Brooklyn are numbered.
So what could this mean for Kyrie Irving?
Hearing his name brought up in trade rumors connected to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, Irving could potentially be moved immediately following a Kevin Durant oriented trade, but it truly does seem like the seven-time All-Star guard is committed to his current team.
Kyrie Irving opted into his near $37 million player option for the 2022-23 season and has since stated that he plans on and wants to play with the Brooklyn Nets.
On Tuesday, Shams Charania joined The “Pat McAfee Show” and offered some insight into what Irving’s mindset is right now given the news that has come out surrounding the Nets and Durant.
Charania: “Right now, Kyrie Irving he opted into his contract, he’s committed to the Nets and from everything I have been told, he’s been doing everything behind the scenes… I think what you are going to see from Kyrie Irving is just a level of high professionalism and I think that’s what he’s shown since he opted in… I think the likelihood is still that right now, the plan is for him to stay a Net going into training camp and the season.”
With all the uncertainty that surrounded Irving and him possibly getting a long-term extension from the Brooklyn Nets ahead of him opting into his player option for the 2022-23 season, many believed that Kyrie Irving could very well push his way out of Brooklyn.
Getting long-term security in a new contract was high on Irving’s list of priorities entering the offseason and while that did not happen, he still remains committed to his team and that speaks a lot of volume about what kind of person, player and character Kyrie Irving is.
He has made it very clear that it is not about him and while he would like a new contract to remain with the Brooklyn Nets, it seems like Irving is more than willing to prove his worth during the 2022-23 season.
Who knows what the long-term future looks like for Irving in this league and whether or not he will remain with the Nets past this upcoming year, but as of right now, it would be surprising to not see Kyrie Irving in training camp at the end of September.
