PHILADELPHIA — Kyrie Irving wants to stay with the Nets, but talks haven’t taken place yet, according to new report from Bleacher Report.
Irving is in the final year of his contract with Brooklyn and he would become a free agent if a new deal isn’t reached before the offseason. The NBA superstar is eligible for a max extension of four years, $200 million.
“Around Kyrie and staying with the Nets? I have reached out to the Nets regarding this,” Irving’s agent Shetellia Irving told Bleacher Report. “We have had no significant conversations to date. The desire is to make Brooklyn home, with the right type of extension, which means the ball is in the Nets’ court to communicate now if their desire is the same.”
The comments come amid a point in the year where the Nets have been without Kevin Durant and have relied a lot on Irving to help fill the void while their franchise cornerstone is out. Irving is on the cusp of making his eighth NBA All-Star appearance and is averaging 26.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
More importantly, Irving has stepped up while Durant has been out, averaging 31.0 points per game in his five games without Durant along with a 46.7% shooting percentage in that span.
Irving was already an important player for Brooklyn and that only increased once the Durant injury occurred. However, it was up in the air over what the Nets had been thinking about Irving’s future after a tumultuous tenure thus far.
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Irving’s availability during the season had been an issue and his stance on being vaccinated forced him to miss a third of last season before returning part-time in January. He was finally allowed to play full-time when New York City lifted its vaccine mandate.
This season he was suspended for eight games after he Tweeted out a link to a film that was filled with antisemitic rhetoric.
