It was reported last week that Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets were at an impasse in contract extension negotiations, with supposed differences over the length of a deal, among other details. As time went on it seemed as if the situation was turning ugly, and there was a point where it looked like the Nets were on the verge of losing Irving and then Kevin Durant as well.
But then Irving decided Monday to exercise his player option for 2022-23. Now, Shams Charania of The Athletic has more details on Irving's contract extension negotiations with the Nets. The way he reports it suggests things weren't as nasty as they appeared and that there was almost a deal worked out:
Irving’s agent, Shetellia Riley Irving, and the Nets front office held extensive and productive extension discussions over the past six days, with sources on both sides describing good-faith negotiations to reach a new deal. The Nets and Shetellia Riley Irving worked through various proposals, including a two-year max extension that included incentives based on games played as well as a four-year max that included two years guaranteed and triggers for years three and four based on the games played in years one and two, sources said. Irving showed a willingness to accept an incentive-based deal before a final counter was made to the Nets, according to sources: a short-term contract extension protecting both sides with a player option. Brooklyn declined.
There's surely some spin going on here, but it's interesting that the Nets reportedly declined that short-term counteroffer. There are no specifics on what exactly that offer was, so maybe it truly wasn't in Brooklyn's best interests to agree to that offer even with the desire to not make a true long-term commitment.
Now we see what happens next. Irving is supposedly committed to the Nets for 2022-23, but the franchise needs to work out some issues and a trade this offseason isn't totally out of the realm of possibility. There's still a lot of work to do.
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