Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving has some hope that he can return to the basketball court sooner than expected. He believes that there could be a vaccine mandate change that could allow him to return to team activities without going against his individual ideals. Per Adrian Wojnarowski:

“Eric Adams, the Mayor-Elect of New York City, talked today about revisiting possibly January 1 when he takes over, the city’s vaccine mandates for government workers and there’s some hope, some optimism, including, I’m told, around Kyrie Irving, that revisiting may also include performers and athletes including Kyrie Irving.”

With the pandemic not coming to a complete halt, New York City ushered guidelines stating that only vaccinated players could participate in home game arenas. This conflicted with Irving's personal beliefs, and a quick decision was made that the superstar wouldn't be able to join the Nets until a solution was provided. Because of this, the All-Star has been non-existent on a Nets roster looking to win the NBA Championship.

Yet this still would mean that there would be a two-month span where Kyrie Irving could not be in the starting lineup. There have been talks about trading Irving, as the front office isn't sure that keeping him is the best move. Per Adrian Wojnarowski:

“Now, that’s two months away before he takes office on January 1. The Brooklyn Nets, they have been getting calls about Kyrie Irving, about their interest in discussing trades with them. So how does this fit into the Nets timetable if Kyrie is going to wait into January to see what happens with the new mayor of New York City, how does that affect how the Nets move forward? There’s a lot to watch here, Greenie.”

Currently, the Brooklyn Nets are 5-3 without Irving and have won three games in a row. Sitting one and a half games behind the first seed, this team seems to be accumulating much-needed chemistry and experience as a whole. With star power in Kevin Durant and James Harden, as well as a veteran presence in Blake Griffin, the Nets are arguably still a top-three team in the Eastern Conference. However, there is a dilemma on whether the team should maintain a star point guard, or trade him away for assets while they can.

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