What Does Kyrie Want?

Kyrie Irving has until June 29th to decide whether or not to pick up his $36.9 million player option and return to the Brooklyn Nets but a new report today claims Kyrie and Brooklyn are not on the same page and he could walk away from the team and enter free agency.

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving joined forces in Brooklyn in an odd attempt to troll Knicks fans and prove they can win titles without Steph Curry and LeBron James. 3 head coaches and 3 first-round exits later, one can objectively say these two players wasted 4 years of their physical prime battling injuries, Michael Rappaport, and Covid medicine and now it looks like their time together is coming to an end.

I have no idea what Kyrie wants from his basketball career. No player would come off the year Irving just had and turn down a guaranteed $36.9 million. He only played in 29 games because he refused to take medicine that everyone else took and had no negative side effects. No one is being possessed by the devil or spontaneously combusting. We’re just not dying from Coronavirus.

In Game 2 against the Boston Celtics this year, Kyrie scored 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting. The Nets were swept. And Kyrie is attempting to hit the free agency market following one of the worst years of his career.

James Harden demanded a trade because he couldn’t understand what Brooklyn was doing. Have you ever had a friend ask if you want to help do a job with him and by the end of the day, you realize your friend is annoying as shit and your relationship only works when you’ve had some drinks in your bloodstream?

Kyrie has made it clear basketball isn’t his only priority but I’ve never believed the narrative that basketball isn’t his number one priority.

You don’t average over 27 points a game if basketball is some little thing you do on the side. If anything, it’s the business of basketball he hates the most which makes it even odder to me that he’s rushing to decline his contract and hit free agency which will require him to fully dive into the business of basketball. Especially in a summer where almost no team has cap space so he’d have to work with Brooklyn to complete a sign-and-trade to a destination of his choosing. Never a great idea to fight with your employer and then expect him to transfer you to a cool city you like.

In April, Kyrie said he wasn’t leaving but he typically says that wherever he’s played moments before he bounced. He told the Celtics he was going to finish his career there. He did not.

As far as Brooklyn goes, I think they’ll be fine. Joe Harris will be healthy. Ben Simmons will be healthy in an environment that will be instantly less strange now that Kyrie is gone and not speaking in riddles and saging arenas before road games. The money Kyrie is leaving on the table could be used to get real depth off the bench.

The reports already claim the Lakers are interested which just won’t ever happen. Kevin Durant is super laid back and seems willing to play ball with whoever you throw next to him without any real complaints but replacing his best friend with Russell Westbrook will be a disaster. The most talented 10th seed in NBA history.

Ideally, Kyrie ends up in Los Angeles—but in a Clippers jersey.

Ty Lue and Kyrie already had a championship together so you know Irving is walking in there with respect for the coaching staff instead of that weird nonsense with Steve Nash where ‘everyone is the coach’.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George need a point guard. They have so much responsibility on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, it’s unfair to expect them to bring the ball up and make every single decision especially with their injury history. I think we all agree Kyrie is better than Reggie Jackson.

The Knicks have also been rumored to be interested but I can’t imagine that working out. We just saw what happened they took a former Celtics point guard. Kemba Walker was asked to stay away from the team. Tom Thibodeau and Kyrie Irving will be strangling each other like Homer and Bart Simpson by the end of the preseason.

Or Kyrie will sign with the Orlando Magic or some random place no one is expecting to troll the NBA media. Congrats to the Detroit Pistons for their new big signing. Kyrie and Cade Cunningham are going to light up the league.