Kyrie Irving Responds to Rumors He Wanted Games Limit, No Back-to-Backs in Contract

Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving has responded to the rumor that he wanted his new contract to include guarantees that he wouldn't have to play more than 60 games in a season and wouldn't have to play in any back-to-backs.

Irving responded to a tweet Thursday essentially saying that the rumor is "cap," meaning it's a lie.

Irving also tweeted Thursday:

He hasn't played more than 54 games in a season since joining the Nets in 2019.

During the 2019-20 campaign, Irving appeared in just 20 games before undergoing surgery on his injured shoulder and being ruled out for the remainder of the year. He then appeared in 54 of a possible 72 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season.

Irving only appeared in 29 contests in 2021-22. While he was limited by some injuries, he missed many of Brooklyn's home games because of his unvaccinated status and New York City's vaccination mandate for indoor arenas, which wasn't lifted until around the end of the regular season.

Irving's future with the Nets has been up in the air since before he picked up his $36.9 million player option for the 2022-23 season.

The 30-year-old is being mentioned in trade rumors, primarily to the Los Angeles Lakers so he can rejoin former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate LeBron James in the Purple and Gold.

In early July, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that the Lakers and Nets were in preliminary discussions about a trade involving Irving and Russell Westbrook and that there was "palpable optimism" a deal could be completed this summer.

However, The Athletic's Jovan Buha reported last week that talks between the Lakers and Nets have stalled and that the two sides likely won't resume discussions until Brooklyn moves Kevin Durant, who requested a trade at the end of June.

Even though he's being included in trade rumors, Irving is "in a good place with the Nets" and is "comfortable" entering the 2022-23 season, according to SNY's Ian Begley.

Still, with no contract extension in place, Irving could be playing elsewhere come 2023-24.