By: Mike Rifkin
On Friday, the NBA world was stunned when Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving requested a trade. According to reports, Irving and the Nets were talking about a contract extension, but the Nets wanted stipulations that have yet to be public.
The Nets front office wants stipulations in Kyrie’s contract because Kyrie, as talented as he is, comes with much baggage. Whether it’s not wanting to play in the bubble, he is not vaccinated, flipping off opposing teams’ fans, or earlier this season when he didn’t disavow an anti-semitic movie and got suspended by the team for eight games. Kyrie, for the season, is averaging 27.1 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, and 5.3 assists per game.
Kyrie has left the Nets’ front office with two choices. One is to give in to his request and not get total value for him, or they let this season play out, try to win a championship and then let him walk as a free agent. The choice is simple unless, given what is deemed total value, I keep Kyrie, and I can pull a sign and trade with him over the summer. Ever since Kyrie and Kevin Durant signed in Brooklyn, the goal was to win a championship, and when healthy, the Nets have as good of a chance as anyone else in the Eastern Conference to get to the Finals.
My biggest problem with the request is the timing. The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, so give the Nets a week to make the deal. The other reason I find the timing peculiar is the Nets’ last game, and they got obliterated by the Boston Celtics, one of the teams they’d have to go through in the playoffs and Kyrie’s former team. Boston has defeated Brooklyn ten consecutive times, including a four-game sweep in the playoffs last season.
If Kyrie is traded, does Kevin Durant, who requested a trade over the summer, but the Nets were unwilling to deal him, bring his request back? If Kyrie stays, it feels like a last chance at a title for Durant and Irving in Brooklyn; otherwise, the two of them going there will be viewed as a failure.
The Sports Insanity Network 