Nets GM hints Kyrie Irving needs to be ‘selfless’ moving forward
After falling to a disappointing first-round playoff exit, the Brooklyn Nets head into a crucial offseason.
Much of which center around star point guard Kyrie Irving’s future. General manager Sean Marks addressed the team’s needs with the media, voicing that he wants players that are “selfless.”
“We need people here that want to be here,” Marks said Wednesday via ESPN. “They’re selfless, that want to be part of something bigger than themselves — and there’s an objective and there’s a goal at stake here. And in order to do that, we’re going to need availability from everybody.”
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It isn’t clear whether Marks was taking a shot at Irving, but the choice of words can only be drawn toward a connection to the All-Star point guard. Missed the first 35 games away from the team due to his decision not to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
Irving didn’t budge from his decision, which he only became further anchored as the season wore along. Since the Nets’ playoff exit, he has only doubled down on his choice while he aired that he wants to be a long-term part of the future plans.
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He holds a roughly $36.5 million player option for next season that he will likely decline in favor of a lucrative multi-year deal. The only question that remains is what type of contract the Nets will offer the star point guard.
He remains a central piece of the team’s future alongside Kevin Durant. The route Brooklyn takes with Irving this offseason will reveal how the franchise feels about his importance as part of the roster construction.
