The Nets guard, who is set to be an open-for-signing player this summer, wants to leave Brooklyn only a few months after he caused a stir over a link to an antisemitic movie through social media.
Kyrie Irving has requested the Nets to sell him prior to deadline N.B.A.’s trading deadline, which is Thursday According to a person who is familiar with the request and wasn’t authorized to talk about the matter in public.
Irving will be in his fourth year of a contract that runs for four years and will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. The Athletic was the first publication to announce the player’s request for trade.
Irving’s request for a hearing comes three years after the Nets suspended the player for refusing to deny antisemitism following the posting of a link to Twitter to a movie that featured antisemitic motifs. Irving was suspended for eight games as a result of his suspension. He returned following an apology.
He’s scored an average of 27.2 scores per match since returning in addition, the Nets have been 22-10 since having his presence since his return. Nets are currently fourth. Nets rank fourth within the Eastern Conference.
It appeared that the Nets after months of turmoil and constant debate about the direction the team was heading was finally finding some an underlying stability. However, Irving is a magnet for controversy throughout his career. And his decision to trade him has affected the team’s fragile team’s chemistry.
Any team that is interested in trading for Irving will be aware of the risk -as well as the potential benefits. Irving helped lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers to an N.B.A. championship in 2016, alongside LeBron James. Irving is still one of the league’s top talents. But there’s baggage, too.
After a slow start of 2-5 this season The Nets dismissed Steve Nash as their coach. They replaced him with Jacque Vaughn, one his assistants. They managed to stabilize the team following the chaotic first couple of weeks during the first half of season.
Irving was targeted in October, after he shared the link to Twitter for an antisemitic documentary that endorsed a variety of false stereotypes, such as questioning how the Holocaust was actually happening. Irving dissociated his self from Holocaust debate, however, he did not apologize for the posting in a series of combative news conferences, even though he retracted the post. In one of the news gatherings, Irving expressed support for the anti-government conspiracy theory promoted by Infowars pseudoscientist Alex Jones. The Nets suspended Irving on November. 3. He returned to the team on Nov. 20 in spite of some criticism from supporters and the media.
Since since then, the backlash diminished and Irving has shown glimpses at the very least in the courts, about why the Nets signed him four years in the past.
Irving along with Kevin Durant joined the Nets as free agents ahead of the 2019-20 season , and formed one of the most dynamic duos within the NBA. Durant is among the league’s most efficient scorers, while Irving is possibly its top ball-handler. Each of them had experience in championships and appeared to be in a good place, both talent-wise to win the Nets an award.
There were doubts and doubts from the beginning. Durant injured his Achilles’ tendon during the 2019 N.B.A. finals when he was representing The Golden State Warriors, and Durant was forced to miss his debut year in Brooklyn. Irving also appeared for just 20 times before getting shoulder surgery to end the season.
The next season in the following season, the Nets also made a splash after purchasing James Harden from the Houston Rockets in a trade that involved three teams. However, Irving was absent from several games due to unknown reasons. Also, during one of the times in which he was absent from the team, a video emerged of him going to the birthday celebration of his sister without wearing a mask, in contravention rules of N.B.A.’s coronavirus protocol. Then, in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Irving injured his right ankle in a match against his team, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Nets fell short in the series after seven games.
The drama was only beginning. In the midst of the 2021-22 season the Nets gave Irving an ultimatum following his refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19. The choice was to get the shot or stay at home. Irving was absent for 35 games until the Nets changed their policies that allowed Irving to participate on the road in games. Irving was able to participate at home for three months after the New York City Mayor Eric Adams repealed a vaccine requirement for professional athletes and actors working within New York City.
However, Harden was gone by that time after he had been traded to the Philadelphia 76ers as the middle of the season in a trade. The Nets then went on to be defeated into the Boston Celtics in the first round of playoffs. Following that loss, Durant requested a trade but was able to rescind it prior to the start of the season.
Irving had a player choice for the season ahead, but it was unclear up to the end of June whether he would choose to opt-in. In the midst of weeks of speculation Irving might be attempting to get a deal done, Irving announced that he was not going to be traded in the end.
“Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow,” Irving declared in a statement made at the time. “I’ve decided to join. Come back in the fall.”
