Just when people thought he was heading to the Los Angeles Lakers, Kyrie Irving was shockingly traded to the Dallas Mavericks instead, as Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai didn't want to do him any favors.
Kyrie has burned every bridge back to his former teams, so it's not a surprise to see that the Nets front office didn't want to show him any sign of good faith. They just wanted him out of there and pretend like that infamous tenure never happened.
That speaks volumes of Kyrie's personality and how exasperating he could be to his employers. Notably, that's one of the reasons why the Lakers didn't keep pushing to trade for him while they still could.
NBA Rumors: Lakers Were Worried About Kyrie Irving
(Transcript via Kyle Goon — Orange County Register)
"Meanwhile, a cryptic tweet from James seemed to anticipate the arrival of Irving – a player whose All-NBA talent has often been outweighed by his penchant for on-court controversy.
While one person with knowledge of the team’s interest in Irving told Southern California News Group that high-level team officials had serious concerns about his professionalism and availability – especially considering that the Lakers would have had to at least consider extending him on max or near-max money beyond this season – according to Bleacher Report, the team was willing to part with both their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks to get the deal done.
It fell apart, according to a report from The Athletic, because the Nets wouldn’t stop there, also desiring two of the team’s talented young players in Austin Reaves and Max Christie."
Sometimes, the best move is the one you don't make. So, while Lakers fans and LeBron James might be heartbroken after the team failed to add Kyrie, they might've dodged a massive bullet instead.
Irving will become a free agent, and chances are no one will be willing to offer him a max contract, regardless of how talented he is. He's not trustworthy, and the door will continue to shut down on him until he's fully ostracized and out of the league.
