No contract extension talks between Nets, Kyrie Irving

Following the Brooklyn Nets elimination, Kyrie Irving raved about coming back with the team. He claimed that he wants to help manage the franchise alongside Kevin Durant, whatever that means.

But then again, it seems like the Nets aren’t buying it. They’ve heard him talk the same way about the Boston Celtics and even their own team in the past, only to not show up and play more often than not.

Irving is eligible to sign a max extension in the summer, but that could come with risk. That’s why Nets GM Sean Marks recently confirmed that there haven’t been any talks on a potential contract extension.

NBA News: Nets GM Says There Haven’t Been Talks With Kyrie Irving About A Contract Extension

(Transcript via Brian Lewis of The New York Post)

“We have not had a conversation yet. So I look forward to getting in a room with him and Joe and his team, and we will. We’ll see what it looks like for Kyrie moving forward here, and what he needs from us and so forth.

So, again, it wouldn’t be right for me to comment on what hypothetical could happen, because we don’t know. We haven’t had those conversations with Kyrie yet. But when they do, we’ll see if it’s the right fit for both sides.

We want to avoid the drama, we want to avoid the distractions. These last couple years here, whether it was expectation set on the team or some of the outside circumstances that were going on in the world, they affected our guys — both individually and as a group — really poorly, unfortunately.”

Irving is one of the most talented players in NBA history, and that’s not up for debate. But he’s got a history of not being available and not putting basketall as a priority, and that doesn’t sit well for a franchise trying to win its first ring since the ABA merger.