Kyrie Irving made a personal choice, one that wouldn't allow him to play at Barclays Center this NBA season. That forced the Brooklyn Nets to make a choice of their own and not allow him to be a part of the team until further notice.
That seemed to be the end of the story. The Nets would find a way to win without him and he'd sit out through the season unless he took the vaccine. But an interesting turn of events might as well change that.
Now that Mayor-elect Eric Adams has stated that he'll revisit the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, there's a slight chance that Kevin Durant and James Harden could get more help at some point in the season.
NBA Rumors: Kyrie Irving Could Play This Season
“Mayor-elect Eric Adams vowed to “revisit” the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for municipal workers when he takes office and reach a “resolution” on the matter, as he took an election victory lap Wednesday morning," reported The New York Post.
But, Do Nets Executives Want Kyrie?
The biggest question is whether the Nets want Kyrie back on the team. The obvious answer would be yes, especially with their titles' hopes at stake. But they did backpedal on offering him a contract extension and claimed that he wasn't as committed as the team as other players:
(Transcript via Brooklyn Nets)
“Given the evolving nature of the situation and after thorough deliberation, we have decided Kyrie Irving will not play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant.
Kyrie has made a personal choice, and we respect his individual right to choose. Currently, the choice restricts his ability to be a full-time member of the team, and we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability.
It is imperative that we continue to build chemistry as a team and remain true to our long-established values of togetherness and sacrifice. Our championship goals for the season have not changed, and to achieve these goals each member of our organization must pull in the same direction. We are excited for the start of the season and look forward to a successful campaign that will make the borough of Brooklyn proud.”
Maybe this could also work if they were to trade Kyrie while they still can. Whether this will happen or not is yet to be seen but at least, this could give the franchise options they don't currently have.
