Shams: Kyrie Irving opting in

[Bolts]

Can we get a Kyrie trade for Harden please.

[TheLand13]

Okay, now let me take you into this world we like to call reality.

Irving has proven time and time again that he’ll put his own selfish needs over the team, to the point where he doesn’t care if that means he’s sitting out for a good portion of the season. His selfish actions not only complicated Brooklyns season and made it more difficult than it needed to be, but it drove James Harden away from the team, a guy who keep in mind the Nets gave up a multitude of assets for, including Jarrett Allen who just became an all star this season. Now they’re stuck with the contract of Ben Simmons who didn’t play at all last year and we don’t know what he’ll be like when he’s back.

Meanwhile, transmental talent? The guy doesn’t have a clue as to how to run an offense. He’s an awful defender. His scoring prowess does not make up for these things. He may be a terrific one on one player, but he makes his teams worse when he’s out there playing. If he’s not having a terrific scoring night on great efficiency, he is hurting your team. That’s not a guy who is worth keeping around.

i think he was ironic

I love that anyone read "transmental" and "10-15 year extension" and didn't feel the sarcasm.

To be fair, sarcasm isn't something I'm great at detecting on the internet.

[Bad-Thoma]

i think he was ironic

I love that anyone read "transmental" and "10-15 year extension" and didn't feel the sarcasm.

To be fair, sarcasm isn't something I'm great at detecting on the internet.

I get it and it's why I didn't try to be dickish about it. It really was just funny.

[zshawn10]

ESPN: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving Relationship 'Isn't Always as Close as It Appears'

Kyrie Irving's future with the Brooklyn Nets will reportedly come down to whether Kevin Durant wants him there.

Nick Friedell of ESPN discussed the situation Tuesday on SportsCenter, saying the Nets plan to sit down with Durant to assess his feelings before making any firm decisions:

"At every turn publicly, [Kevin Durant] has been there to support [Kyrie Irving], to say we need Kyrie, to say Kyrie can win a title with me here in Brooklyn. But I can tell you, I've been talking to people in the organization the last couple of weeks, when they finally sit down and talk to Kevin throughout the summer, they are trying to figure out if Kevin saw what everybody else saw. ... The reason that whole season got sidetracked was because they couldn't count on Kyrie, and they didn't know if he was going to be out there. And the issue with Kevin is, he wants to win badly, he wants to be loyal to his friend. But I've been told that relationship, while very close, isn't always as close as it appears to be.

"So that is a literal multimillion dollar question here, not only in the next week as we figure out what Kyrie's going to do with that player option, but moving forward because they just don't know if that is a dynamic duo that will hold long-term. They want to get a clear answer from Kevin. And we've talked about it for months: Everything in that Brooklyn organization revolves around Kevin Durant. If KD wants Kyrie back, he'll be back. If KD signs off on 'eh, I don't know if it can work, I don't know if I can trust him out there every night,' then Kyrie may be elsewhere."

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10039446-espn-kevin-durant-kyrie-irving-relationship-isnt-always-as-close-as-it-appears.amp.html

[Free Rider]

If I'm the Nets I'm just asking KD to blink twice if he wants Kryie out of Brooklyn because he's probably never going to tell you directly. Take whatever inkling of a sign KD gives you and run with it; a cough, a sneeze, shoulder shrug, whatever, just get yourself out of the Kryie business.

[gigantes]

If I'm the Nets I'm just asking KD to blink twice if he wants Kryie out of Brooklyn because he's probably never going to tell you directly. Take whatever inkling of a sign KD gives you and run with it; a cough, a sneeze, shoulder shrug, whatever, just get yourself out of the Kryie business.

Good point, as KD pretty much has to walk a tightrope if he's realistic about Kyrie's negative impact, while still wanting to stay close buddies.

As a Nets fan, I certainly am hoping Kyrie is gone, and that we can get something reasonable for him. Altho not Westbrook. But it's indeed a tricky situation..

[Hello Brooklyn]

ESPN: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving Relationship 'Isn't Always as Close as It Appears'

Kyrie Irving's future with the Brooklyn Nets will reportedly come down to whether Kevin Durant wants him there.

Nick Friedell of ESPN discussed the situation Tuesday on SportsCenter, saying the Nets plan to sit down with Durant to assess his feelings before making any firm decisions:

"At every turn publicly, [Kevin Durant] has been there to support [Kyrie Irving], to say we need Kyrie, to say Kyrie can win a title with me here in Brooklyn. But I can tell you, I've been talking to people in the organization the last couple of weeks, when they finally sit down and talk to Kevin throughout the summer, they are trying to figure out if Kevin saw what everybody else saw. ... The reason that whole season got sidetracked was because they couldn't count on Kyrie, and they didn't know if he was going to be out there. And the issue with Kevin is, he wants to win badly, he wants to be loyal to his friend. But I've been told that relationship, while very close, isn't always as close as it appears to be.

"So that is a literal multimillion dollar question here, not only in the next week as we figure out what Kyrie's going to do with that player option, but moving forward because they just don't know if that is a dynamic duo that will hold long-term. They want to get a clear answer from Kevin. And we've talked about it for months: Everything in that Brooklyn organization revolves around Kevin Durant. If KD wants Kyrie back, he'll be back. If KD signs off on 'eh, I don't know if it can work, I don't know if I can trust him out there every night,' then Kyrie may be elsewhere."

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10039446-espn-kevin-durant-kyrie-irving-relationship-isnt-always-as-close-as-it-appears.amp.html

The problem is KD boxed himself in.

He forced the Nets to use all cap space on him and Kyrie. And then trade all their assets for Harden.

Nets have no way of acquiring another star to pair with him.

[Pointgod]

ESPN: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving Relationship 'Isn't Always as Close as It Appears'

Kyrie Irving's future with the Brooklyn Nets will reportedly come down to whether Kevin Durant wants him there.

Nick Friedell of ESPN discussed the situation Tuesday on SportsCenter, saying the Nets plan to sit down with Durant to assess his feelings before making any firm decisions:

"At every turn publicly, [Kevin Durant] has been there to support [Kyrie Irving], to say we need Kyrie, to say Kyrie can win a title with me here in Brooklyn. But I can tell you, I've been talking to people in the organization the last couple of weeks, when they finally sit down and talk to Kevin throughout the summer, they are trying to figure out if Kevin saw what everybody else saw. ... The reason that whole season got sidetracked was because they couldn't count on Kyrie, and they didn't know if he was going to be out there. And the issue with Kevin is, he wants to win badly, he wants to be loyal to his friend. But I've been told that relationship, while very close, isn't always as close as it appears to be.

"So that is a literal multimillion dollar question here, not only in the next week as we figure out what Kyrie's going to do with that player option, but moving forward because they just don't know if that is a dynamic duo that will hold long-term. They want to get a clear answer from Kevin. And we've talked about it for months: Everything in that Brooklyn organization revolves around Kevin Durant. If KD wants Kyrie back, he'll be back. If KD signs off on 'eh, I don't know if it can work, I don't know if I can trust him out there every night,' then Kyrie may be elsewhere."

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10039446-espn-kevin-durant-kyrie-irving-relationship-isnt-always-as-close-as-it-appears.amp.html

The problem is KD boxed himself in.

He forced the Nets to use all cap space on him and Kyrie. And then trade all their assets for Harden.

Nets have no way of acquiring another star to pair with him.

This is why you don’t let players dictate personnel moves. You’d know better than I do, could they Nets have signed Kyrie and Durant without trading Russell?

[Hello Brooklyn]

ESPN: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving Relationship 'Isn't Always as Close as It Appears'




https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10039446-espn-kevin-durant-kyrie-irving-relationship-isnt-always-as-close-as-it-appears.amp.html

The problem is KD boxed himself in.

He forced the Nets to use all cap space on him and Kyrie. And then trade all their assets for Harden.

Nets have no way of acquiring another star to pair with him.

This is why you don’t let players dictate personnel moves. You’d know better than I do, could they Nets have signed Kyrie and Durant without trading Russell?

No they didn't have the cap space to sign Russell. He had to be traded for KD.

We were not getting KD without Kyrie. But the unlimited power Sean Marks gave them has proven to be a big mistake.

Should have taken the reigns early no. This has become a disaster.

[lonzo_pelota]

next season for kyrie will be spectacular on the Nets, He'll have ben simmons drawing defenders away from him as he chills out on the perimeter because of Ben's superb outside touch....oh damn maybe thats what kyrie realizes, his shot attempts will go down and his space in the halfcourt will shrink as defenders sag off Benny the Butcher

[Johnny Bball]

https://sports.yahoo.com/beware-of-kyrie-irving-who-is-always-searching-for-something-better-141709348.html

This guy has him pegged.

He won an NBA title in Cleveland in 2015-16, but the next year his relationship with LeBron James turned so icy that they, according to Kyrie, were barely talking. He soon demanded a trade rather than stick with James, who would get the Cavs back to the Finals anyway.

“If I was in the same maturity line and understanding of who I am, and I look back, we definitely, definitely would’ve won more championships, because there would’ve been a better man-to-man understanding about what I’m going through,” Irving said on the “I Am Athlete” podcast this spring. “I didn’t know how to share my emotions. I didn’t know how to do that. So instead of sharing, I isolated myself.”

He found himself in Boston, as the team’s top dog. This was a historic franchise with a huge fan base. Irving first said he liked it so much he wanted to retire there. Yet it lasted just two years before leaving for Brooklyn as a free agent.

If he was as adept at recognizing talent as he claims, and as dedicated to winning titles as he claims, he would have recognized that the Celtics' roster featured Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart (all under 25 at the time) for him to lead. Instead he left and that core got the Celtics to this season’s NBA Finals without him.

If Kyrie is serious about hitting that open market again then it would mean in the past five years he left LeBron, KD, Tatum and others all in a search for something … better?

There is no better. He bailed on being a second superstar (Cleveland) to be the sole superstar (Boston), then bailed on that to be an equal superstar (Brooklyn), and found none of them to his liking.

And while every breakup has two sides, the one constant here is Irving. It’s hard to imagine what Cleveland, Boston and Brooklyn could have done differently. If anything, they coddled him.

[zshawn10]

Wojnarowski: "The Nets are trying to stay disciplined on a Kyrie extension but they also run the risk of alienating Kevin Durant, and perhaps unfastening him from his commitment to wanting to be in Brooklyn if Kyrie Irving were to leave."

https://streamable.com/ctzbfc

[DroseReturnChi]

I knew Kd was a cupcake but boy he is weak no control whtsoever he should threaten them with a trade for disrespecting Kyrie.

[Pointgod]

Wojnarowski: "The Nets are trying to stay disciplined on a Kyrie extension but they also run the risk of alienating Kevin Durant, and perhaps unfastening him from his commitment to wanting to be in Brooklyn if Kyrie Irving were to leave."

https://streamable.com/ctzbfc

Translation: Kyrie to get full max to keep Kevin happy while Durant asks for a trade in 2 years.

[TinmanZBoy]

I hope Kyrie opts I’m so that we will see the full Nets squad for a complete healthy and no excuse season.,, and see how they do against the whole field

[zshawn10]

The sum of the franchise's deepest fears: Irving walks, and Kevin Durant wants a trade.

Irving's impenetrable connection to Durant looms as a domino to the dismantling of the roster. Brooklyn is straddling the narrowest of walkways: Keeping conviction on Irving's contract talks and keeping Durant's desire to stay a Net.

The organization clearly wants Irving on a shorter deal, whether it's his $36 million opt-in for the 2022-23 season -- or perhaps an opt-out and new deal that could give him a raise to $42 million annually on a two-year deal.

In previous offseasons, rival agents and players would tell you of Durant's eagerness in talking to potential free agents. So far, that hasn't been the case with him, sources say.

Around the Irving drama, the Nets' environment has made it harder to keep and court role players, sources say.

For anyone to say with absolute confidence that Irving wouldn't choose the Lakers' $6 million taxpayer exception over his guaranteed $36 million with Brooklyn, well, it would just be a guess.

There are teams rooting for Irving to opt-out and walk away from the Nets, believing it would give them a chance to cobble together trade packages to acquire Durant.

As much as Durant asking out hangs over the Nets, there's also the reality that four years on his contract will mean he has little, if any, voice on when or where he would be traded. This would be a small-market team's dream, robbing a goliath of an MVP-level talent whose contractual circumstances would leave him little choice but to play for them.

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/34130810/how-kyrie-irving-contract-talks-change-kevin-durant-long-term-commitment-brooklyn-nets

[ATRAIN53]

The Kyrie enigma is not hard to understand.

He has nothing to play for.

He has all the $$, he hit the peak of the NBA mountain very early and realized he had to share the glory with a guy everyone liked more.
That's hard to accept when you're used to being The Man

It's a team sport and he's not a team guy.
He would be better suited for individual sport like Golf or Tennis.

an amazing athelte, best finisher at the rim in the NBA. A wizard with the ball.
If he was bigger and could palm it, he could be be the next freaking Michael Jordan.
He is that good, he is just fragile and only 6'1 sadly.

Plenty of limited miles left on him, but it will cost you and there is no warranty or guarantee of anything.


I don't want him - but then again if you just told me the Bulls traded from Him I'd be right back here telling you how young and amazing he is and how were now going to win the title because we got him.....

I like him in Dallas, I'd love to see him on the Clippers, Charlotte with MJ.
Phoenix could be interesting. Maybe Utah.


MIA seems ideal but he's not Heat Culture material.....

[zshawn10]

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[mademan]

Read on Twitter

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well ya. The Nets kinda want it both ways here. This is the superstar experience; KD chose the Nets when he coudlve chosen any team in the league and that comes with expectations. If youre not willing to submit to KD's demands, then dont sign him.

Kyrie is unpredictable and was a disaster on 2 other teams. This is the bed they laid for themselves. Just re-sign Kyrie to run his contract as long as KD's and then be done with both of them.

[Bornstellar]

As a fan of another team this is hilarious. This is what happens when you try to skip the building process and just buy your way to a title. Watching the Nets implode and their fanbase going from bombastic sh*t talkers (no offense to posters here) who thought they had multiple titles in the bag to wondering if they will even have KD next season is pretty hilarious