Report: Kyrie Irving Short-Term Contract Extension Proposal Rejected by Nets

Kyrie Irving's decision to opt in on his deal with the Brooklyn Nets for next season came after the two sides had failed extension talks.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Nets declined an offer from Irving's camp of a short-term contract extension that included a player option.

The Nets also made proposals that included a two-year max with incentives based on games played and a four-year max with the first two years guaranteed and triggers that would kick in based on games played in Years 1 and 2.

After the two sides couldn't find common ground, Irving told Charania on Monday he was going to exercise his $36.5 million option for 2022-23.

Prior to Irving's announcement, his status looked like it was going to be the main focus of the offseason.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported last week (h/t ESPN.com's Tim Bontemps) that Irving gave the Nets a list of teams he would consider working with on a sign-and-trade if contract talks broke down between the two sides.

The Los Angeles Lakers, L.A. Clippers, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers were all on Irving's list.

On Monday, Wojnarowski reported the Lakers were the only team interested in pursuing a sign-and-trade for Irving. The only way that Los Angeles would have been able to make the trade work in a one-on-one deal with the Nets was by sending Russell Westbrook back to the Nets.

The Lakers could have also attempted to find a third team.

The Nets had extra incentive to find some common ground with Irving. Charania noted that Kevin Durant "seriously mulled" his future in Brooklyn amid the franchise's discord with Irving.

As long as Irving is available to play, he's one of the best scorers in the NBA. The seven-time All-Star has averaged 27.1 points on 49.0 percent shooting (40.6 percent from three) in three seasons with the Nets.

Of course, availability has been a significant problem for Irving. He has only played in 103 out of a possible 226 regular-season games since signing with the Nets in July 2019. The last time he played at least 60 regular-season games was the 2018-19 season with the Boston Celtics.