Kyrie Irving officially opts in

Nets Daily: Kyrie Irving has officially opted in, reports ESPN
Source: Twitter @NetsDaily

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Austin Krell @NBAKrell
James Harden asked out of BKN, underperformed, and is open to taking less money to help his team.
He was criticized for quitting on BKN, while Kyrie Irving selfishly missed more than half of the season due to personal decisions and then tried to force the Nets into a max deal. – 5:13 PM

Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Kyrie Irving remains with Nets, but latest comments reminder drama far from over nba.nbcsports.com/2022/06/29/kyr… – 4:46 PM

Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Either the 76ers are pulling off some serious cap wizardry or Kyrie Irving distracted us from the fact that James Harden is actually the one taking a $30M pay cut. – 3:38 PM

Mike Mazzeo @MazzNYC
DraftKings’ Johnny Avello and Caesars’ Craig Mucklow weigh in on pricing the Nets in the NBA futures market given the continued uncertainty over Kyrie Irving’s future playny.com/brooklyn-nets-… – 3:14 PM

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops
Kyrie Irving Returns to Nets + Is Jaylen Brown Disrespected? | Bob Ryan & Jeff Goodman Podcast | Powered by @HireOnLinkedIn twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… – 3:00 PM

Eric Pincus @EricPincus
Latest @BleacherReport Would Any of These 4 Teams Help Lakers, Nets Trade Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving? – If, after the dust settles from their mutual opt-ins, the teams look to revisit a swap, is there a third team willing to take on RW? How? bleacherreport.com/articles/10040… – 2:50 PM

StatMuse @statmuse
Collin Sexton in his last season:
24.3 PPG
3.1 RPG
4.4 APG
LeBron and Kyrie are the only other Cavs with those stats or better in a season. pic.twitter.com/9JJ0GybbkS – 1:52 PM

Chris Sheridan @sheridanhoops
More on #Knicks later. For now, can Kyrie Irving of #Nets win MVP? Ex-teammate thinks it is possible. Odds are as high as 150-1. sidelines.io/nba/can-kyrie-… – 12:20 PM

Zach Lowe @ZachLowe_NBA
ICYMI yesterday: Lowe Post podcast previewing all things free agency/trade w/ @Bobby Marks: Kyrie’s opt-in, then our 5 Most Intriguing free agency teams: Mavs, Nets, Bulls, Hawks, Spurs, Wolves, Sixers, much more:
Apple: apple.co/3NwVTaq
Spotify: spoti.fi/3nopYyg – 11:30 AM

Kamenetzky Brothers @KamBrothers
Wednesday’s @LockedOnLakers podcast w/@Jovan Buha! We discuss Russ opting in, how close the Lakers got to a Kyrie deal, Malik Monk’s Laker future, free agent targets and more! #FirstListen @LockedOnNetwork @LockedOnNBAPods
Subscribe. Rate. Enjoy. Thx!
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rus… – 10:48 AM

Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
The June mailbag is up. On the KD/Kyrie saga, ideal offseason and I got some scouts to weigh in on Alondes Williams: theathletic.com/3388143/2022/0… – 9:30 AM

Micah Adams @MicahAdams13
Shout out to a pair of courageous pioneers – Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving – for opting in to a combined $83 million.
#DareToBeDifferent – 9:25 AM

Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
🚨 NEW PODCAST EPISODE 🚨
2022 NBA Free Agency Preview: @Michael Scotto and I discuss the latest rumors, the Knicks’ moves, Zach LaVine, Deandre Ayton’s market, Kyrie Irving’s opt-in, Dejounte Murray’s future, trade candidates, sleeper free agents and more: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the… – 8:05 AM

Chris Sheridan @sheridanhoops
No matter whether you like or dislike Kyrie Irving of #Nets, you have to consider whether he is wager worthy for MVP. Ex-teammate Channing Frye strongly believes in him. Odds are as high as 150-1. MORE: sidelines.io/nba/kyrie-for-… – 6:28 AM

Bill Simmons @BillSimmons
New BS Podcast!
—The Knicks go all-in for Brunson, Kyrie/Nets madness + NBA media turning into pro wrestling w/ @VanLathan @BigWos
—A UFC 276 mega-preview w/ tortured Knicks fan @arielhelwani
—A Lakers PR advice session plus making “Loot” w/ @alanyang
open.spotify.com/episode/5D4tTd… – 12:30 AM

Danny Leroux @DannyLeroux
I wrote a Q+A for @The Athletic on Kyrie Irving’s decision to opt in. Whether he can still agree to an extension, whether the Nets can still trade him, Brooklyn’s books now and moving forward, and much more theathletic.com/3387211/2022/0… – 8:19 PM

Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Kyrie Irving-#Nets soap opera far from over despite opt-in #nba nypost.com/2022/06/28/kyr… via @nypostsports – 7:24 PM

Gerald Bourguet @GeraldBourguet
On today’s @PHNX_Suns pod, we argued about CP3 vs. Kyrie, non-Kevin Durant trades for the Suns, and why the KD dream might not be dead yet!
Listen/subscribe: https://t.co/A51s2pEU7P pic.twitter.com/lOUQGz2hR3 – 7:01 PM

Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
From earlier — ASK IRA: Are Pat Riley, Heat better off not having to consider Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving? sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-h… – 6:22 PM

Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
New Dunc’d On Prime: @Jake Fischer on the draft trades, Dejounte to Hawks, Nets/Kyrie, MEM and SAS plans, Bridges and Ayton markets, TJ Warren, and more. Join us duncdon.supportingcast.fm – 6:18 PM

Kamenetzky Brothers @KamBrothers
For the sickos who like to watch, Tuesday’s @Lockedonlakers podcast, YouTube version. We discuss Kyrie opting, what’s next for the Lakers, and whether Malik Monk at the TPMLE makes sense for the Lakers. @LockedOnNetwork @LockedOnNBAPods
youtu.be/0n9bi_ixrss?t=… – 5:48 PM

Danny Leroux @DannyLeroux
Dunc’d On Prime: Kyrie Opts-In w/ @Nate Duncan
Get 35% off the monthly price with our Mock Offseason Total Access Sale: https://t.co/n4QLDC9m6F pic.twitter.com/rAJl4v6Sfs – 5:30 PM

More on this storyline

According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the three other teams that had significant interest in a potential trade for the enigmatic Nets superstar were the Dallas Mavericks, the Miami Heat, and the Philadelphia 76ers: “There were a couple of other teams that were poking around at him in opt-in-and-trade scenarios: Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia,” Shams said on the Pat McAfee Show, via ClutchPoints on Twitter. “But at the end of the day, he made a move where he said, ‘I’m gonna commit. I’m gonna go back to Brooklyn, I’m gonna opt-in.” -via Clutch Points / June 29, 2022

According to NBA insider Brian Windhorst, there are still some “high-ranking people” in the league who believe that Irving landing with Los Angeles could still happen. “I know that there are people in the league, and we’re not talking about ancillary people, we’re talking about high-ranking people, who believe that this is not done,” Windhorst said. “I don’t know. Let me just say this about the Lakers. He obviously was very interested in joining the Lakers. The Lakers were very interested in having him.” -via Lakers Daily / June 29, 2022

Though Irving and Durant are both under contract — Irving for the upcoming season at $36.5 million, Durant starting a four-year extension — there’s a looming question: Are they unhappy? Because Brooklyn learned the hard way what Boston already knew: An unhappy Irving is a dangerous Irving. “I feel bad for those guys there, that they have to deal with him,” one league source told The Post. -via FOXSports.com / June 29, 2022