Kyrie Irving’s relationship with the Brooklyn Nets has been a very peculiar one. Not long after getting there, his relationship with the organization was contentious. Many believe he had a hand in Kenny Atkinson stepping down. Though there is no way to confirm it, It’s not hard to believe, following comments he made after the hiring of current coach Steve Nash. During an appearance on Kevin Durant’s ETC podcast back in Oct 2020, it was suggested by Kyrie that the Nets don’t need a coach. “They can run a team on their own. Players can take leadership roles among themselves and hold themselves accountable.”
From that statement alone, it’s not hard to put the pieces together and see that there was a good chance he had a hand in coach Kenny Atkinson stepping down. Those comments came not long after Kenny Atkinson left and the hiring of Steve Nash. It was also a backhanded compliment towards first-time coach Steve Nash as it was not the greatest vote of confidence after being hired.
In his second year with the Nets, Kyrie would go on to play one of his best seasons as a professional. Averaging 26.9 ppg, 6.0 ast, 4.8 rebs, on great efficiency. He was a part of the heralded 50-40-90 club. Often, displayed his creative ball handling, and tough shot-making whenever he touched the hardwood. He consistently showed the excellent player he could be. He and Kevin Durant were both exciting to watch and their games took off even more with the addition of James Harden.
Kyrie’s season, unfortunately, came to an end from a horrific ankle injury during game three of the Eastern Semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks.
This most recent year is when things took a rough turn. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Kyrie was not able to play the majority of the season. He decided against getting vaccinated, which is fine. It is his prerogative, what he does with his body. Where the issue lies is with the relationship with the front office. They currently have no confidence that giving him a max deal with max years would be in their best interest. Over the last few years, he has missed many games. He tends to be injury prone and there seems to be an issue with getting him to completely buy-in.
For instance, not getting the vaccine. Most people were skeptical of getting the vaccine. Though for team success, sacrifices have to be made. The goals of the team have to be put above everything else. Kyrie Irving was firm in his beliefs and decided to put himself first. Which shaped out to be detrimental to the team's success.
The team had trouble gelling together even when Kyrie got back. There was not enough of a foundation or comrade built throughout the season to prepare them for a strong postseason run. The Nets went on to get swept by the Celtics in four games. Though each game was close, team chemistry was not there.
Andrew Wiggins and the Warriors are a great example of how different this season could have played out. He too was skeptical of getting the vaccine but decided to make the sacrifice for the betterment of the team which turned out to be a good one. He had the best season of his career and became an NBA champion.
Kyrie has to understand that all his decisions will impact him when it is time to renegotiate his contract. There are consequences for his choices, good, or bad. In his case he chose himself over the collective, so he should not be surprised when the team does the same.
Recently, Kyrie decided to opt into his player option and become an unrestricted free agent in the 2023 offseason. Playing out the season, and coming back to the negotiation table seems to be his best course of action at this moment. It will give him the chance to display his greatness to the Nets and other teams interested in him. If he takes care of business, teams will not have any issue giving him the full max.
Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons, and Kyrie are all currently in their prime. It would be surprising if the Nets don’t at least give them a chance to compete while everyone is healthy. If things don’t work out, a trade can be explored in the future. At the moment, it makes sense to see what type of team they have. The talent is there, it is now a matter of coming together as a team.