Report: Kyrie Irving Will Sit Out if Nets Don't Trade Him
The Nets have four days to trade disgruntled superstar guard Kyrie Irving or face the uncertainty.
Irving, who requested to be traded on Friday, was not present at Brooklyn's walkthrough on Saturday morning or during the team's 23-point comeback win over the Washington Wizards later that night.
According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, the Nets intend to keep Irving sidelined until a trade is finalized ahead of the Feb. 9 NBA Trade Deadline.
Although time is certainly not on Brooklyn's side, the organization dealt with the same scenario last season. Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden demanded a trade request days before the Trade Deadline. Hours before 5:00 p.m. ET hit, he was dealt to the Sixers in exchange for Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond, and Seth Curry.
Before Brooklyn's win over Washington, head coach Jacque Vaughn spoke about Irving's situation. While he spoke with his superstar guard, the two did not discuss the reason(s) he wants out of the borough.
"I didn't ask those questions [about why he wanted to leave]. There's a business side to this thing and there's the human side to this thing. I elected to touch on the human side and check on him as an individual," Vaughn said. "I'll leave the business side to Sean [Marks] and that side of the group."
Fourth-year big Nic Claxton stated that he also spoke with Irving on Friday. In those conversations, he didn't believe it was his right to convince Irving into rescinding his trade demand. He stands with his teammate's trade request and added that he found out about the trade request after waking up from a nap.
"We're just like everybody else, we were caught off guard, but I can't judge a grown man for his decisions," Claxton said. "At the end of the day, he's doing what's best for him. I stand by him and I stand with my teammates here in this locker room."
