NBA experts spent the last few weeks speculating about Kyrie Irving’s possible exit from the Brooklyn Nets, but he’s not going anywhere. Despite rumors that he’s looking into other teams, Irving is staying where he is after opting into his $37 million player option.
As soon as the season ended, speculations about Irving’s potential transfer started circling around as he reportedly pursued a sign-and-trade deal with other teams. Some reports claim that several teams took notice, while ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Los Angeles Lakers are the only team showing actual interest.
It’s all water under the bridge now, since Irving told The Athletic that he’s sticking around in Brooklyn: “Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow. I’ve made my decision to opt-in. See you in the fall.”
Kyrie Irving: “Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow. I’ve made my decision to opt in. See you in the fall. A11even.” https://t.co/rpiS8YkSZI
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2022
Even after Irving decided to exercise his $37 million player option, the Nets could still trade him this offseason without his formal approval. They also have the option to offer him a long-term extension until June 30, 2023 before he becomes a free agent.
Irving’s last season with the Nets was quite rocky because he played in only 29 regular-season games after refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but that didn’t stop him from matching his career-high with 27.4 points per game.
