Nets guard Kyrie Irving shook the basketball world when he requested a trade Friday six days ahead of the deadline. The eight-time All-Star even caught his teammates off guard. How did Nets players find out about the franchise-altering development?

“Same way [as] everybody else: Twitter,” Royce O'Neale said Saturday via Brian Lewis. ” [I was] surprised. But I mean, it’s a new day. We get the hoop today. ”

Starting center Nic Claxton said he woke up to the shocking Kyrie Irving news.

“I was taking a nap and I looked in one of my group chats and I saw it and I was like, ‘Wow,’ ” he said. “It just caught me off guard. But it is what it is.”

Head coach Jacque Vaughn said he reached out to each of his players individually after the news broke. Vaughn also spoke with Irving, although he said they did not discuss the reasoning behind the trade request.

“I didn't ask those questions. There's a business side to this thing and there's a human side to this thing,” Vaughn said. “I elected to touch on the human side and check on him as an individual. I'll leave the business side to (general manager) Sean (Marks) and that group. ”

Irving was ruled out ahead of Saturday's matchup against Washington with Brooklyn already missing Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons and T.J. Warren. The Nets have been treading water since Durant went down with an MCL sprain on Jan.8 in Miami, posting a 4-7 record. Vaughn was asked pregame Saturday if he felt Irving was letting the team down by asking out:

“I think you have a responsibility as a basketball player like I do as a coach,” he said. “I show up, I do my job every single day, that's what I signed up for, and that's my expectation for one through seventeen.”

The trade request comes after Kyrie Irving and Brooklyn were unable to come to terms on a new contract. The Nets reportedly offered the guard an extension with stipulations, something Irving's camp was “vehemently against”, according to the Athletic's Shams Charania. This marks the second round of negotiations that Brooklyn has offered the 30-year-old an incentive-based contract.

It should be no surprise the Nets are hesitant to hand Kyrie Irving a blank check given his unpredictable history. The former No. 1 pick took multiple extended absences during the 2020-21 season without informing the team. He then missed over half of last season while refusing to comply with New York's workplace vaccine mandate before being suspended for eight games early this year for social media posts linking to an antisemitic film.

Claxton, who has spoken highly of Kyrie Irving at several points this season, said he doesn't have hard feelings towards his teammate following the surprise move:

“I can’t judge a grown man for his decisions,” he said. “At the end of the day, he’s doing what’s best for him. I stand by him and I stand with my teammates here in this locker room.”

The Nets big was also asked if he would attempt to talk Kyrie Irving out of the request:

“No, that’s not my job,” Claxton said. “My job is to come out here every day and compete at the highest level, stay healthy, and help my team win basketball games. ”

Durant returned and re-committed to the Nets following his trade request this summer. When asked if he felt there was any room for Irving to reconcile with Brooklyn, Claxton offered a straightforward response:

“I have no idea. I mean, no idea. I just work here at the end of the day,” he responded. “I just wanna come out here and beat Washington and have fun in front of our fans.”

The Nets now find themselves thrust into trade negotiations centered on Kyrie Irving just five days from the deadline.

The Lakers, Suns, Mavericks, and Heat have all been linked to the All-Star guard following news of the request. In the meantime, Brooklyn's supporting cast will attempt to keep the team afloat as they open a five-game homestand against the Wizards.