After three years and change, the Kyrie Irving experiment is over for the Brooklyn Nets, and many of their fans are breathing a sigh of relief.
They thought the organization had assembled a superteam back in 2019 when they acquired both Irving and Kevin Durant, but they have nothing to show for it, as the team didn’t reach the Eastern Conference Finals with the duo.
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn had a succinct message for his team after Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks following a trade request on Friday.
Jacque Vaughn says he cannot comment on the Kyrie Irving trade yet, and shares what his message to the Nets is during this time:
"Be present" pic.twitter.com/K1C3yl0u82
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) February 6, 2023
When Irving and Durant joined the Nets, many proclaimed them the NBA’s next great team, but the experiment failed for multiple seasons, and Irving is a major reason why.
He is an ultra-skilled player, but he has been a headache off the court.
Earlier this season, he promoted a documentary with antisemitic content, and he failed to explain why he did so to reporters, which resulted in an eight-game suspension for him.
Last season, his failure to get vaccinated against COVID-19 caused the Nets to send him home for much of the year, and in the meantime, he promoted anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.
Now, the question is whether Durant will ask to be traded soon, as Brooklyn likely won’t even come close to contending for an NBA championship anytime soon.
Reportedly, there are teams that are monitoring Durant’s situation and readying themselves in case he asks out.
At least now the Nets can move forward without the stress of keeping Irving engaged and wondering what he may do next to jeopardize team chemistry and performance.
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