It appears that Kyrie Irving’s time with the Brooklyn Nets is over.
The All-Star point guard has asked to be traded by the deadline next week, according to NBA source Shams Charania, who announced this on Twitter on Friday. Kyrie plans to leave the organization as a free agency this summer, according to Charania, should the Nets decline to trade Irving before the Feb. 9 deadline.
The news was announced a while after Kyrie asked to be signed and traded before the NBA season began, but ultimately chose to enter the final year of his four-year contract.
Kyrie’s most recent request for a trade is only the latest in a chaotic time for the star point guard in Brooklyn. Until NYC mayor Eric Adams changed the city’s laws, Kyrie was unable to play in Nets home games during the 2020–21 season due to his unwillingness to receive the COVID–19 vaccine.
After sharing a link to the 2018 documentary Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America on social media earlier this season, Kyrie drew criticism. The movie focuses on antisemitic stereotypes.
He was then given a minimum five-game, no-pay suspension and instructed to complete six action items before being allowed to rejoin the squad. A face-to-face meeting with Jewish leaders, the conclusion of sensitivity training, a $500,000 gift to anti-hate organizations, and a public apology for promoting the aforementioned movie were among the demands.