Run it back, or be realistic?
The Brooklyn Nets may go down as the biggest ‘What If’ in NBA history. After assembling a juggernaut Big Three of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving, the franchise has seen its castle crumble much faster than expected.
Despite the franchise seemingly making all the right moves, they couldn't help but watch as everything went wrong. Going into the season with a clean bill of health, the Nets had been the overwhelming favorites to win it all. Well, that was until the New York City vaccine mandate deemed Irving ineligible to play home games for the 2021-22 NBA season. Fast forward less than a year later, Joe Tsai and Sean Marks stand unwilling to offer Irving a max contract, as Durant has requested a trade with James already gone.
However, reports today indicate that the Nets front office prefers to keep Durant, as teams throughout the league have failed to meet Brooklyn’s asking price for their top-tier superstar. After all, the team remains poised with potential with Ben Simmons, Joe Harris, and a fully loaded roster behind them.
Nevertheless, that doesn't change the fact that Marks was clear as he said, “We need people here that want to be here, that are selfless, that want to be part of something bigger than themselves,” and Irving doesn't exactly fit that description. Moreover, having recently been granted permission to seek sign and trade opportunities elsewhere, the market for Irving had been rather dry, as the word unreliable has gone from an unfair label to a reputation that precedes him.
Never mind how things ended in Cleveland or Boston; Irving has been consistently unavailable as a Brooklyn Net. Over the course of the last three seasons, Irving has played a total of just 103 regular season games, missing time due to injury, vaccination status, and numerous unknown personal reasons. For context, Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney hadn't missed a single game this year as he played 104 games this past season alone.
Even outside of his contractual obligations, Irving failed to display any sense of reliability this week as he remained absent from his scheduled play time in the Drew League alongside stars LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan. When asked about Irving’s playing status, Drew League commissioner Dino Smiley told ESPN, “It sounded like it was going to be a sure thing. I don't know what happened,” indicating Irving did not notify anyone as to the reason for his absence.
All in all, Irving is a unique personality that most would find difficult to understand, an enigma, if you will. Although he remains a spectacular basketball player, he has proved time and time again to be unreliable when it comes to his availability on the court, despite the most incredible incentives. Now having opted into his player option with the Brooklyn Nets, this coming season will most certainly serve as a ‘prove it’ year for his career, superstar or not. However, after everything the Brooklyn Nets have been through, the organization must decide if that is a risk they are willing to take.
