One of the main topics that is still discussed amongst those in the Brooklyn Nets fanbase is the downfall of the big 3 after just a few years of title contention for the franchise. One of the events that has been talked about plenty is Kyrie Irving requesting a trade from Brooklyn during a 2022-23 season where he and Kevin Durant was still good enough to compete for a title.
“It was time for his (Irving’s) contract extension, the two sides didn’t meet up, business got involved, and that’s what happened. That’s how it goes,” Dallas Mavericks forward Markieff Morris said of his teammate, Irving, in an interview with Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. With Irving in the final year of his contract, he tried to negotiate a contract extension with the Nets during the first half of the season to no avail.
“I think Kyrie was averaging about 27 [points] at the time. I think we won 18 out of 20 and all of a sudden the business got involved. That’s how it goes sometimes. A guy of Kyrie’s stature, I wouldn’t be standing for that either. Get me up out of there,” Morris said.
Based on reports at the time, it was clear that Irving and the Nets wanted to continue their partnership as part of the reason that Irving was even in Brooklyn was to fulfill his childhood dream of playing for the Nets. To keep a long story short, due to the fact that Irving had some controversial moments with the franchise along with some availability issues, the two sides were unable to come to a middle ground on a contract.
After Brooklyn and Irving came to an impasse, Irving requested a trade with the threat of sitting out for the rest of the season if he wasn’t traded by the deadline. Irving was ultimately traded to the Mavericks where he is now competing for a title against the Boston Celtics.
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