The Brooklyn Nets disappointed this past year, losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Boston Celtics in four games.
Given the star power that the Nets have on their roster, a first-round exit has to be seen as a colossal failure.
Things could be getting bad to worse for Brooklyn, as reports surrounding star point guard Kyrie Irving suggests that negotiations between Irving and the Nets have become “stagnant”.
Irving has an upcoming player option with the Nets this offseason, where he can ultimately decide whether or not he wants to stay in Brooklyn moving forward.
This has led to rumors that Irving could potentially be traded by the Nets this offseason even if he did decide to opt-in, which could ruin the Nets organization for years to come.
If Irving is on the move for the Nets, Kevin Durant could be right behind him on his way out of Brooklyn. Reports have emerged that Durant is “monitoring” the uncertainty currently surrounding the organization.
He discussed the rumors surrounding Irving on The ETCs podcast on Friday and revealed that regardless of Irving’s upcoming decision, he will always remain close with Kyrie.
“I just let things play out and see what happens,” said Durant. “Whatever happens [with Kyrie], the friendship will still be there.”
He added that while he wants Irving to remain with the team, he won’t be involved whatsoever in his decision.
“It’s no involvement at all. I can’t be involved with it,” Durant said of Kyrie’s decision. “This is this man’s livelihood. This is much bigger than me. Being a free agent, it’s one of the most important times in your career. That can’t be swayed by anybody else. I just do me and wait for the time.”
It does seem like Irving’s decision could play a big factor in how Durant moves forward with the Brooklyn Nets, as he added that he is just going to wait and see how things play out.
This offseason is going to be crucial for the Nets. If Irving leaves, that could lead to Durant following, which would likely send the organization back to the basement of the NBA standings for years to come.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.