Following a messy 2021-22 NBA season, Kyrie Irving is not going through the best of times in Brooklyn. His reluctance to get the Covid-19 vaccine cost him several months on the sidelines, something that affected the Nets.
By the time he returned to the floor, it was too late. Steve Nash's team had to go through the play-in tournament only to be swept by the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Now, Irving's future seems unclear.
But things were different three years ago, when he left Boston to join the Nets. By then, Irving had a recent success at the Cavaliers with LeBron James, and it seems that he took a page out of his book at the time of signing for Brooklyn.
Rumor: Kyrie Irving demanded Nets to give him similar power LeBron James had on his teams
LeBron James is believed to have a lot of influence in every team he plays for, often being blamed when things don't go as planned, like the 2021-22 Lakers. According to Steve Bulpett of Heavy, Irving let the Nets know he wanted to have that kind of power as well:
"When Kyrie signed as a free agent, he basically said, 'I'll come and I'll bring Kevin Durant.' And in return, the Nets agreed that he could have a say in the roster decisions. It's not uncommon at all for general managers to talk to their top players about possible trades and free agents.
"That's just smart. You're paying your guy big money, and you want him to be on board. Plus, your guy might have another view of a situation or a player that you haven't considered. But with Kyrie, they talked this out beforehand. He wanted a situation as LeBron has—or like he thinks LeBron has."
Irving's request could have made sense back then, especially if he was bringing in someone like KD. But now he can't pretend to have that kind of weight anymore. In fact, he has to make things up after a forgettable year.
