The Brooklyn Nets got shoved out of the NBA playoffs early when the Boston Celtics completed an opening-round sweep on Monday night. After getting eliminated by his old team, Kyrie Irving has a decision to make this offseason.
Irving could decline a $36.5 million player option to sign a long-term extension or leave Brooklyn. However, the 30-year-old declared his intentions of staying with the Nets.
“In terms of my extension, man, I don’t really plan on going anywhere,” Irving said after the Game 4 loss, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “So this is just added motivation for our franchise to be at the top of the league for the next few years.”
Kyrie Irving on pursuing an extension w/ #Nets: “In terms of my extension, man, I don’t really plan on going anywhere. So this is just added motivation for our franchise to be at the top of the league for the next few years.”
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) April 26, 2022
Via SNY TV’s Ian Begley, the point guard said he’s going to use criticism from a tumultuous season as fuel to come back stronger next season.
“Hopefully we don’t run into any barriers and can start fresh,” Irving said.
Kyrie Irving says he knows many people wanted to see Nets fail and says he’ll use that as part of his motivation heading into the offseason. He said he looks forward to next season, starting in October. “Hopefully we don’t run into any barriers and can start fresh.”
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 26, 2022
Irving constructed one of those barriers this season by not receiving his COVID-19 vaccination shots. State ordinance prohibited him from playing home games for most of the season. After the Nets initially chose to sit him out for all games, he played 29 games during the season.
One could say trading James Harden in a deal for Ben Simmons was supposed to represent a fresh start. Last season was also supposed to typify a new beginning for Brooklyn after Kevin Durant missed all of 2019-20 with an Achilles tear.
It’s also worth noting that before the 2018-19 season, Irving told Celtics fans he planned on re-signing the following offseason. He changed his mind to play with Durant in Brooklyn.
Per Scott Cacciola of the New York Times, Irving sees himself and Durant “managing this franchise together” with team governor Joseph Tsai and general manager Sean Marks.
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