Report: Nets Brass Was Upset with Kyrie Irving; GM Would Listen to Trade Offers

Kyrie Irving's future with the Brooklyn Nets is suddenly unclear after he reportedly upset the front office in January when he was away from the club for a personal matter. 

Appearing on the Celtics Lab podcast (h/t Nick Schwartz of Nets Wire), NBA reporter Matt Sullivan said Nets ownership "was quite upset with Kyrie's 'pause,' especially that maskless party that turned his psuedo-paternity leave into more like a COVID suspension."

Sullivan, who goes behind the scenes with the Nets in his new book Can't Knock the Hustle, added that Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks "would maybe, possibly, apparently be willing to at least listen to a trade offer for Kyrie this offseason."

Irving took two extended leaves from the Nets during the regular season. The first one caused him to miss seven straight games from Jan. 7 to 18. 

The NBA announced Jan. 15 that Irving was fined $50,000 for violating the health and safety protocols after attending a private indoor party. He also had to undergo a mandatory five-day quarantine that cost him $800,000 in salary for missing two games. 

Upon returning to the Nets on Jan. 19, Irving told reporters his original leave was due to "a lot of family and personal stuff going on, so I just want to leave it at that."

Irving also said "it's time to move on" when asked if he knew he was in violation of the health and safety protocols. The seven-time All-Star took another leave from the Nets for personal reasons in March when he missed three straight games. 

The Nets signed Irving to a four-year, $141 million contract in July 2019. He has one more guaranteed year left on that deal, with a $36.5 million player option for the 2022-23 season. 

Next offseason is shaping up to be significant for the Nets, even if Irving gets dealt. James Harden and Kevin Durant could become free agents after the 2021-22 campaign if they decline the options in their contracts. 

Irving's status could be more complicated for the Nets than just deciding whether to trade him.

In a July 2019 article for B/R, Howard Beck wrote that Irving and Durant began devising a plan to play together long before they signed with Brooklyn as free agents. 

Even though injuries and absences limited their time together on the court this season, the results for the Nets were fantastic overall.

They finished with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference (48-24) before losing in the second round of the playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks, with Irving unavailable for the final three games of the series because of a sprained ankle and Harden limited by a hamstring injury. 

Irving averaged 26.9 points on a career-high 50.6 percent shooting, 6.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game in 54 starts during the 2020-21 regular season.