Kyrie Irving has declared he is ready to perform for the Brooklyn Nets and let his future 'play out' amid reports he could leave for the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency next summer.
On Friday night, the Brooklyn Nets completed their preseason preparations with a 112-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Irving starred. The point guard put up 26 points to go with four assists and a single rebound to help the Nets to their second win of the four-game preseason.
The 30-year-old was linked with a move to the Lakers, with LeBron James reportedly pulling for the franchise to trade for the seven-time All-Star. According to The Athletic, the Lakers reportedly wanted to offload Russell Westbrook, offering the former MVP and draft compensation for the services of Irving.
At the end of June, Irving opted in to his £31.3million contract for the 2022-23 so the Lakers were planning to use Westbrook’s contract to match salaries for a potential trade. Westbrook - who joined the Lakers from the Washington Wizards last summer - opted into the final year of his contract, earning £39.7m.
At the same time, Durant handed in his trade request and allegedly gave the Nets an ultimatum to either fire Marks and coach Steve Nash or send him to another franchise. Ultimately, wounds were healed and all parties appear to be confident Durant is remaining in Brooklyn for the long term.
Irving could still join Los Angeles in free agency next summer after he opted into his one-year contract to keep him in Brooklyn this season. The seven-time All-Star believes the Nets are heading in a positive direction following a dramatic and controversial summer regardless of his long-term future.
“I'm staying patient and letting those things play out, honestly. Because the best thing I can do right now is just build sustainable relationships and be there for people that go on the court and off the court,” Irving told ESPN. “And that's going to be a unique task this year. Eliminating those distractions of thinking about things that I know are either in the future or they are not, or hoping - I don't want to be in that phase.
Do you think Kyrie Irving will join the Los Angeles Lakers next summer? Let us know in the comments section.
“I just want to be present, live every day as God has given it to me and legitimately just have fun with this profession. It's a heck of a business, ain't it?”
He added: “I'm only as great as my team and the individuals that are around me. And they keep me very grounded and balanced in terms of what my goals are, what our goals are, and we focus on those.
“I want this to feel like a dream that we all can share. And that's not just only with my Nets, but people that we're going to be going against. It's going to be fun. It's going to be a fun ride. So I'm looking forward to that enjoyment as well, more importantly.”
Irving, Durant and the Nets open their 2022/23 NBA season when they welcome the New Orleans Pelicans to the Barclays Center on October 19.
