Kyrie Irving has reportedly requested a trade from the Nets, just as he had been performing at an All-Star level for a Brooklyn team that is preparing to welcome back Kevin Durant.
So, with the Nets seemingly one of the handful of teams expected to compete for a championship later this year, what happened between Irving and the organization?
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, contract negotiations between the two sides fell apart when the Nets wanted to include stipulations in a deal.
“I’m told they’ve had contract extension negotiations, and from what I’m told, a contract extension was offered to Irving that had some stipulations in it,” Charania said on the Pat McAfee Show. “I'm told that his side was vehemently against any stipulations in an extension. He believes he deserved a fully guaranteed contract, and a player of his contract shouldn’t have stipulations in a deal.”
For the Nets, seeking stipulations in a deal is understandable for a player who sat out the vast majority of last season for refusing to comply with COVID-19 vaccination requirements, and was suspended earlier this season for promoting a video containing anti-Semitic material. Irving has had drama follow him for much of his career, drama that tends to exceed his superb talent on the court.
Meanwhile, Irving reportedly wanted to remain in Brooklyn, but doesn’t seem to want any stipulations in his deal. The two sides wouldn’t relent, and now Brooklyn is tasked with either trading Irving, or making one last run with Irving and Durant together before Irving would leave in free agency this summer.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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