We now have a better idea of why things went south (again) between Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets.
Word broke on Friday that the Nets All-Star guard Irving has requested a trade from the team ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline. The news comes after Irving reportedly rejected an extension offer from the Nets.
Shams Charania of The Athletic appeared Friday on “The Pat McAfee Show” and revealed something interesting about those extension talks. Charania said that the Nets gave Irving an extension offer that had certain guarantee stipulations. Irving and his camp were reportedly “vehemently against” any such stipulations and thus declined the offer.
You cannot really blame the Nets for trying to protect themselves in a new deal with Irving. The eight-time All-Star has had a litany of issues since arriving in Brooklyn in 2019, most recently in November when he was suspended by the team for his promotion of an anti-semitic film.
But Irving remains a strong talent on the basketball court (averaging 27.1 points per game this season) and will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer, meaning the Nets could lose him for nothing if they don’t trade him. It is also possible that Irving’s trade request is a leverage play to try to force his way to one team in particular.
