Despite ending up on the wrong side of a first-round sweep, Kyrie Irving maintained his belief in the Nets organization immediately following Monday’s loss to the Celtics.
The star point guard told reporters he intends to stay with Brooklyn long-term shortly after the team’s season-ending defeat at Barclays Center. Irving, 30, has one year left on his contract, and is eligible for a five-year, max extension this summer.
“In terms of my extension, man, I don’t really plan on going anywhere,” he said after Game 4. “This is added motivation for our franchise to be at the top of the league for the next few years. I’m just looking forward to the summer, just building with our guys here.”
The seven-time All-Star also took a moment to address his partnership with Kevin Durant, who signed a lucrative four-year extension in August. Irving re-iterated his desire to keep playing alongside his superstar teammate and continuing their shared quest to win together in New York.
Interestingly, he also discussed wanting the team to build its foundation as a unit “from Day 1”; Irving notably played in just 29 games during the regular season due to his refusal to receive a COVID-19 vaccination under New York City’s vaccine mandate. He played his first game of the season on Jan. 5, and didn’t make his home debut until March 27 following NYC mayor Eric Adams’ decision to exempt athletes and entertainers from the mandate three days prior. The Nets were 39–35 entering Irving’s first game in Brooklyn, and finished 14–15 in the games he played in.
“When I say I’m here with Kev, I think that it really entails us managing this franchise together alongside [owner] Joe [Tsai] and [general manager] Sean [Marks], and just our group of family members that we have in our locker room, in our organization,” Irving said. “So, it’s not just about me and Kev, I don’t want to make it just about that, we’re cornerstones here but we have Ben [Simmons], we have a few other guys … I think we just got to make some moves this offseason, really talk about it and really be intentional about what we’re building and have some fun with it, make it enjoyable. Hopefully we get to start from Day 1 just as a squad and as a family.”
While Irving’s declaration sounds good—and potentially familiar to Celtics fans—there are still a number of hurdles to clear this offseason.
First, Irving will have to decide if he wants to opt into his $36.9 million player option for the 2022-23 season. If he opts out and re-signs on a five-year deal, Irving could earn up to $245.6 million, per Spotrac. However, if he opts in, he could ink a three- or four-year extension worth around $190 million.
In addition to figuring out Irving’s contract and Simmons’s ongoing situation, the Nets will also have to make decisions on seven free agents including do-it-all wing Bruce Brown. Durant and Irving are two of seven players currently under contract for next season.
