If the Brooklyn Nets could turn back time, I'm pretty sure they would never, ever have reached out to Kyrie Irving. Irving has caused nothing but trouble within the oRganization from the very second he stepped in, and they're still stuck with him for another season.
Irving went MIA in his first season with the team. He claimed to be off the grid for personal reasons and then was spotted partying. Then, the vaccination fiasco came, and while the team respected his decision, they hoped he'd sacrifice for their common goal. It didn't happen.
The Nets failed miserably in the playoffs, and some blamed Kyrie for their lack of chemistry. According to some reports, it even cost them James Harden, the guy they traded most of their picks to land. So, it shouldn't be surprising that the Nets didn't sign him to an extension.
NBA News: Kyrie Irving Didn't Want To Play Back-To-Back Or 60+Games Per Season
The Nets constantly called Irving out for his lack of commitment to the organization. And now, NBA insider Ric Bucher revealed yet another reason why the Nets didn't want to extend his contract, as he demanded not to play 60+ games a season or 'inhumane' back-to-backs.
"Joe Tsai has already shown he’s willing to play hardball with Kyrie by taking a max extension off the table almost immediately. Now, part of that may be Kyrie’ doing. I’m told he wanted his new contract to guarantee he wouldn’t have to play more than 60 games in a season and would not have to play any back the backs which he apparently referred to as inhumane," Bucher said on his Podcast.
Some believe the league should shorten the season, so that's a whole different discussion. But we're talking about a guy who's set to make $36,503,300 to play a game. A game that he refuses to play but still wants to get paid for it.
All things considered, it's hard to envision any organization committing to Kyrie ever again or even considering accepting these conditions. I mean, all they need him to do is hoop, and now he doesn't even want to do that?
