The Brooklyn Nets‘ vaunted “Big Three” of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving turned into just a dynamic duo when Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in February. Now, according to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic, Irving could also be shipping out of The Big Apple.
Irving has a June 29 deadline on his $36.9 million player option for the 2022-2023 season.
While both Irving and Durant joined the Nets during the summer of 2019, it’s been an era of disappointment and untapped potential thus far. “KD” missed the entire 2019-2020 pandemic-altered campaign as he recovered from his torn Achilles, and Irving was limited to just 20 games.
During the 2020-2021 campaign, Brooklyn made it to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals before falling to the eventual NBA-champion Milwaukee Bucks. With the former Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics point guard being limited to part-time play due to the COVID-19 vaccination mandate in New York City, the Nets started this past season ice-cold.
Even after Harden was traded, the vaccine mandate was lifted and the team turned their regular season around, they were swept in the opening round of the postseason by the Boston Celtics.
“‘I don’t really plan on going anywhere,'” Irving said after the loss to the Celtics. “Nearly two months later, it appears both sides have serious work to do in order to find a resolution that brings Irving back to Brooklyn and his co-star in Durant, who is under contract with the Nets through 2025-26. Several teams across the league have kept tabs on the situation, wondering about the future of Irving and Brooklyn.”
