All is not well in Brooklyn. At least in terms of the stability of its basketball team, the Brooklyn Nets, things could get dicey based on the buzz that's been emanating from Barclays Center this offseason.
The Nets have a huge decision to make on Kyrie Irving. This time last season, the team was expected to lock-in all of their then-Big 3 of Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden to long-term extensions, keeping them around for the foreseeable future. Instead, they signed just Durant, Irving was his usual enigmatic self, and Harden is now forcing the Philadelphia 76ers into a conundrum of their own.
The run-of-the-mill move for Brooklyn is to simply offer Kyrie Irving a max deal, or something close to that, to keep him under contract alongside Kevin Durant. Irving just turned 30 and still has a few prime years left in him, while having relatively low mileage given his sporadic appearances on the court.
But that same uncertainty is reportedly what's given Brooklyn pause to commit to Irving. Nets GM Sean Marks was vocal when asked a couple of weeks back that the decision to extend the All-Star point guard is far from cut and dry.
Via Brian Lewis:
Sean Marks on if the Nets are committed to Kyrie Irving long-term: “Thats something we've been discussing and we'll continue to debrief on & discuss throughout this offseason.” Adds he made a mistake in predicting Irving would sign last year & the player has decisions too,” said the Nets GM earlier this month.
Kyrie Irving has a player option for next season, but the likelihood is that he'll be seeking a long-term deal, especially given his checkered injury history. Whether that deal is consummated in Brooklyn is the big question mark. Now recent reports indicate that the Nets are straight up unwilling to make that long-term commitment on Irving.
Via Kristian Winfield:
The Nets’ championship hopes hinge on an amicable solution with Irving, whose personal decision not to get vaccinated and unpredictable injury history have left the Nets hesitant, and now, according to a source familiar with the Nets’ thought process, outright unwilling to give him a long-term extension.
That's no surprise given the half-season long strife the Nets had to endure with Irving last season. His refusal to get vaccinated was in part what drove away James Harden, for better or worse, and ultimately left a hole on the team that they eventually agreed for him to fill on a part-time basis, playing in just road games for the better part of his shortened season.
Regardless of what happens with Irving, Kevin Durant, the Nets' largest and most important building block, remains under contract until the 2025-26 season. But the latest news to come out on Durant amid the indecision with Kyrie Irving isn't exactly encouraging for the Nets faithful. According to at least one source, KD has been kept completely out of the loop, whether by team design or by his own choosing, ever since the offseason began for Brooklyn back in April.
Via Winfield:
If Irving leaves outright as a free agent this summer, disgruntled by the Nets’ hardball stance on his availability, Brooklyn doesn’t have the cap space to replace him with a star, which means Durant, entering Year 16, could be playing with a questionable Ben Simmons (back surgery) and a roster full of role players.
That’s a first-round exit at best — if Durant stays to see it, and according to multiple sources, Durant and the Nets front office have not spoken since they were swept out of the first round.
At face value, the lack of communication between a star player and his team during the first month of their offseason isn't exactly a death knell.
But given the team's looming decision on Kyrie Irving, and the potential shockwaves sure to impact Kevin Durant if his mercurial teammate can't manage to come to terms on a new deal, the alleged radio silence doesn't exactly point towards a healthy relationship.
A signed contract doesn't have the security that it once had in today's NBA, especially for a player with the superstar cache as Kevin Durant possesses. The former MVP has never been bashful with switching jerseys in the past when the situation becomes less than palatable for his liking.
Perhaps he's simply letting the Nets and their decision-makers doe their job instead of trying to control matters beyond basketball. But given the fact that the level of basketball to be played at Barclays Center hinges largely on what happens this offseason, with major moves still to be made, a storm could potentially be brewing in Brooklyn.
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