Kyrie Irving Rumors: Nets May Ask Star to Take New 4 Instead of 5-Year Contract

Kyrie Irving can sign a new five-year, $248 million contract this summer.

Some are wondering whether the Brooklyn Nets may ask him to take a little less.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported there is speculation around the NBA that the Nets could ask Irving to take a four-year deal or ask for playing-time concessions in a new deal.

Irving has played in only 103 games in three seasons with the Nets. He missed most of the 2019-20 campaign with a shoulder injury, took a seven-game unexcused absence in 2020-21 and was forced to sit out over his COVID-19 vaccination status for most of this season.

Frustration over Irving's lack of availability loomed heavily over the Nets during the 2021-22 campaign, providing enough of a distraction for James Harden to force a trade to Philadelphia and digging a deep enough hole that Brooklyn was forced into a play-in game.

The Nets were swept by the Boston Celtics in Round 1 despite losing the four games by a total of 18 points. Irving performed brilliantly in a 39-point outing in Game 1 but combined for just 46 points on 16-of-43 shooting over the final three games. 

"Didn't necessarily play as well as I would have liked," Irving told reporters. "But now we just look for the future as a team and what we can accomplish for the next few years and I get excited about that."

The Nets will hopefully welcome Ben Simmons, the centerpiece of their Harden deal, into the fold next season. Simmons' defensive versatility and playmaking are an on-paper perfect fit next to Irving and Durant, but the three-time All-Star missed the entire 2021-22 season while he worked on his mental health and he recovered from lingering back injury. It's unclear what type of player he will be when and if he returns to the floor.

Durant has already made a long-term commitment to the Nets, agreeing to a four-year extension before this season. Irving likely isn't going anywhere as long as Durant is on the roster; the two have become intrinsically linked in this Brooklyn experiment. 

That said, there's plenty of reason for the Nets to have some level of hesitation about pushing their chips to the center of the table with Irving.