Just when everything seemed to be going well in Brooklyn, The shooting guard of the networks Kyrie Irving he decided he had had enough.
On Friday, Irving requested a trade out of Brooklyn before the NBA trade deadline of February 9.
Brooklyn Nets number 11 Kyrie Irving dribbles during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Barclays Center on January 30, 2023, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Nets won 121-104.
(Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
If Irving is not traded, he will leave the organization as a free agent this summer, according to a report by The Athletic.
NETS’ KYRIE IRVING REQUESTS TRADE FROM BROOKLYN BEFORE DEADLINE: REPORT
While unexpected, the news doesn’t come as a total surprise to many in the NBA world, as it is par for the course for Irving. tumultuous time in brooklyn.
On Friday, ESPN and NBA personality Stephen A. Smith weighed in, tearing up the eight-time All-Star’s trade request.
«Idiot. Let’s put that aside,» Smith said on ESPN’s «NBA Today» show Friday.
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«Here’s a guy in Kyrie Irving who for the last three years, who’s made most of his money but missed more than 50% of his games, enters his senior year after this offseason. Obviously, the situation in the that he got into earlier this year was unfortunate, but he resurrected from that.»
FILE – Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets speaks before the team’s NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, in New York.
(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
Smith was referring to Irving’s eight-game suspension earlier in the season after sharing an anti-Semitic film on social media.
After a slow start to the season that resulted in head coach Steve Nash and the separation of the organization, Irving and the Nets have played well.
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Irving was selected as All-Star Starter for the Eastern Conference, and the Nets sit at 31-20, good for fourth place in the East.
Smith acknowledged how well Irving has played this season, but questioned whether Irving could avoid being a distraction.
«Nobody questioned that,» Smith continued when talking about Irving’s talent. «All we ever questioned was, can the guy get through the rest of the season without being any kind of distraction if he’s going to have a chance to get his money? And lo and behold, he pulls this out. And why? Because the The Brooklyn Nets had the temerity, the utter nerve, to say, «Play the season. We’ll see, because we haven’t had you for a whole season without any drama. And here it is again.»
The trade request came after Irving and the Nets failed to reach a contract extension. Irving is reportedly looking at somewhere in the area of four years, $198.5 million, according to ESPN.
The LA Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat have been discussed as possible suitors for Irving’s services.