Kyrie Irving Rumors: 'Several' Nets Insiders Blame PG for Brooklyn's Lack of Success

After trading Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, the Brooklyn Nets could use the point guard as a scapegoat for the team's struggles.

According to Ian Begley of SNY, some in the organization believe Irving is to blame for the team's falling short of expectations:

"They didn't do enough winning in the Irving-[Kevin] Durant era. Just one playoff series win in three seasons."

"Several people in the organization believe strongly that those poor results are tied directly to Irving. And it makes sense. Irving played in just 143 games over three-plus seasons. He missed time due to team suspension, injury, vaccination status and unapproved personal leave."

The Nets were considered title contenders after acquiring Irving and Durant in 2019, while the addition of James Harden in 2021 made them one of the favorites. The squad still wasn't able to get past the second round of the playoffs, and last year's team was swept out of the first round by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics.

Irving was impressive individually with Brooklyn, averaging 27.1 points and 5.8 assists per game across four seasons. He earned two All-Star selections as a starter, including this season.

The 30-year-old has made headlines for his stance against the COVID-19 vaccine and his sharing of an antisemitic film on social media and then refusing to apologize and denounce antisemitism.

He played barely half of 278 possible regular-season games with the Nets.

Brooklyn will hope the trade results in addition by subtraction with the removal of Irving from the roster. Cam Thomas has especially thrived since Irving's trade request Friday, scoring 44 and 47 points to become the second-youngest player after LeBron James to post back-to-back 40-plus-point games.

Ben Simmons could also play a bigger role going forward if he can run the offense like he did with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, the two players who came over in the trade with the Mavericks, should make a significant impact in the rotation on both ends of the court. Dinwiddie can replace much of Irving's scoring ability, while Finney-Smith should strengthen the Nets defense.

Brooklyn entered Tuesday fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 32-21 record.