Kyrie Irving to Play in Brooklyn with or without Kevin Durant. LeBron James’s wish list for the Lakers may have shrunk a little bit.
Even though no final decision has been made yet, NBA Insider Shams Charania of The Athletic reported this afternoon that Kyrie Irving does not want to be traded out of Brooklyn and plans to stay with the Nets for at least one more season.
For most of the offseason, most people thought that Irving was going to leave Brooklyn. The Lakers were seen as a likely destination for the point guard. Those rumors got even bigger when Kevin Durant, who was linked to the Boston Celtics this morning, asked to be traded after the Nets had a bad season in 2021–22.
Kyrie Irving to Play in Brooklyn, no matter where Durant is. Also, read about Spanish forward Lucia Garcia being Signed by Manchester United Women.
“Kyrie Irving opted in (to his contract) with the full intention of finishing next season as a Brooklyn Net,” Charania said on The Pat McAfee Show. “From what I’ve heard, in his mind, he’s going to play in Brooklyn next year with or without Kevin Durant,”
The fact that Kyrie wants to stay with the Nets whether or not Durant is traded shouldn’t change much for Brooklyn. Since Irving and Durant both joined the Nets three years ago, they have only played together 57 times.
Charania told Pat McAfee more about Irving’s decision to opt-in and his desire to stay with Brooklyn. “He was going to make the best decision for himself, and Kevin Durant is obviously making his own decision as well,” Charania said.
“But from what I’ve heard, Kyrie Irving has made it clear that he wants to finish next season in Brooklyn and become a free agent next summer.”
