The Brooklyn Nets made a tough call when they decided not to let Kyrie Irving be a part-time player. Heâs ineligible to play home games in New York due to the cityâs COVID-19 vaccine mandate for athletes.
Nets owner Joseph Tsai stated that the team would welcome Irving with open arms if he changed his stance on the vaccine. Needless to say, that hasnât happened and isnât likely to happen at all.
Irving seems willing to forfeit plenty of cash this season and doesnât seem to care about the teamâs championship aspirations. So, where does that leave the Nets when it comes to trading him?
NBA Rumors: Nets Are StillOpen To Trading Kyrie Irving
A couple of weeks ago, Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report claimed that the Nets werenât going to move on from Irving in the foreseeable future, although they were, in fact, fielding calls for him:
âMultiple teams continue reaching out to the Nets regarding a potential Kyrie Irving trade. Brooklyn however, is âclearly sitting tightâ right now, as one WC executive tells me. In other words, even if the Nets were to move Irving, it wouldnât be anytime soon,âreportedSchultz.
Now, Ian Begley of SNY added that the team is entertaining the idea of trading him away. However, theyâre only receiving calls and not making them, sort of trying to keep some leverage:
âTo that end, itâs worth noting that, as of late last month, Brooklyn remained open to talking trades involving Irving, per SNY sources,â said Begley. âESPN reported in late October that the Nets were taking calls on potential Irving trades, but not making them. In the weeks following that report, several teams said Brooklyn has continued to take that approach with the All-Star guard.â
Irving has a long history of insubordination and heâs created trouble wherever heâs gone, so his trade value is uncertain at this point. But from a basketball standpoint, plenty of teams would be more than willing to roll the dice on the incredibly talented troublemaker.
