Kyrie Irving time with the Brooklyn Nets appears to have run its course.
NBA insider Shams Charania took to Twitter on Friday to report that the All-Star point guard has requested to be traded by next week’s deadline. Should the Nets refuse to move Irving before the Feb. 9 deadline, Charania says Kyrie plans on leaving the team as a free agent this summer.
The news arrives several months after Kyrie requested to be sign-and-traded ahead of the start of the NBA season, before he ultimately decided to opt into the final year of his four-year contract.
Kyrie’s latest trade request continues what’s been a tumultuous tenure for the star point guard in Brooklyn. During the 2020-21 season, Kyrie’s refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine kept him from playing Nets home games until NYC mayor Eric Adams altered the city’s laws.
Earlier this season, Kyrie sparked backlash after posting a link on social media for the documentary Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, a 2018 film that focuses on antisemitic tropes.
He was subsequently suspended for a minimum of five games without pay, and was told to complete six action items in order to return to the team. The demands included a face-to-face meeting Jewish leaders, the completion of sensitivity training, a $500,000 donation to anti-hate groups, and a public apology for promoting the aforementioned film.
In December, Nike ended its partnership with Irving, making the Nets star a sneaker free agent.
