Kyrie Irving prepared to sit out rest of the season if Nets don’t trade him

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The Brooklyn Nets have a dilemma on their hand as they move forward with their 2022-23 season. They were already dealing with the Kevin Durant injury and trying to stay afloat without him on the floor, but now, they have a new Kyrie Irving problem to handle.

If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. Irving delivered a trade request to the Nets on Friday as it’s obvious that he won’t be able to agree to an extension with the franchise and he is prepared to walk in free agency.

He is also prepared to sit out the rest of the season if he isn’t traded by Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. Per ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith:

Now the question would be, ‘OK, what would he do? Doesn’t he have to play? Otherwise he’s gonna hurt his stock. He’s gonna hurt his value even more.’ I’m told no. That wouldn’t happen, because at the end of the day, and not only that, Kyrie is still the kind of personality that says I’ll take my chances because based on the principle of him being a star, this is how stars get treated. You don’t let me go into a contract you completed the season and then I gotta wait until I’m a free agent in order to get paid, Kyrie Irving is prepared to sit out the rest of the season if need be. That’s what I’m being told. I don’t know whether I believe that, but that’s what people are saying.

At this point, the Nets will have to figure out what to do with Irving. There are a few suitors who are interested in Irving, notably the Los Angeles Lakers, and GM Sean Marks and the rest of the front office will have to figure out how to best handle this situation.

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Story originally appeared on Nets Wire