MIAMI (AFP) — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving asked the team to be traded, according to a report in The Athletic, citing league sources.
The report said Irving has told the team he would like to move before Thursday’s trade deadline or he will leave as a free agent in July.
Irving was selected as a National Basketball Association All-Star for the eighth time this season after averaging 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists during the regular season so far.
The 30-year-old, who made his name with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is in his fourth year with the Nets after joining them from the Boston Celtics.
In November, Irving served an eight-game suspension after a social media post linking to a movie condemned as anti-semitic sparked a furore.
The report said Irving had recently turned down a contract extension offer from the Nets and that the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks could be possible destinations for him in any move.
The Nets are fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-20 record.
Irving is eligible for a contract extension, but the Nets refused to give him one last summer.
Irving’s agent and stepmother, Shetellia Irving, told Bleacher Report last week that she had reached out to the Nets regarding a new deal. He is eligible for a four-year contract worth as much as $200 million.
“I have reached out to the Nets regarding this,” Shetellia Irving told Bleacher Report.
“We have had no significant conversations to date. The desire is to make Brooklyn home, with the right type of extension, which means the ball is in the Nets’ court to communicate now if their desire is the same.”
Irving and the Nets were thought to be moving toward a long-term extension in 2021, when Kevin Durant signed one. Instead, Irving proved himself to be unreliable, missing games for reasons unrelated to basketball, and the Nets changed their thoughts about locking into a lengthy future with the point guard.
The Nets — coming off a 43-point loss at Boston on Wednesday — open a five-game homestand Saturday against Washington.
Irving isn’t listed on their injury report, meaning he is available to play. They play six of their last seven games before the All-Star break at home; the only “road” game in that stretch is at the New York Knicks.
But whether Irving will be part of any of that is unclear now.
A tweet was posted to Irving’s account shortly before the first reports of the trade request came out; as often is the case with Irving when it comes to social media posts, it was not certain what exactly he was referring to in that post.
“To my peers: Just be yourself and grow! Keep people around who celebrate you unconditionally and appreciate all of the hard work that gets put in. Distance yourself from the folks who manipulate, hate, and hurt,” read the tweet.
