A new season is approaching, and the title-favorite Brooklyn Nets remains a hot topic of discussion about the availability of one of their best players. As per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets are planning to conduct a group decision with regards to the status of their star point guard, Kyrie Irving, for the 2021-2022 NBA season.
Wojnarowski stated that Kevin Durant, James Harden, team governor Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks will tackle this pressing matter. “You look at their stakeholders – obviously the owner, Joe Tsai, Sean Marks the general manager. But Kevin Durant [and] James Harden who have tremendous voices in this. They’re all together – they’re gonna be part of the decision about whether they will going to allow Kyrie Irving if he doesn’t get vaccinated and if he is ineligible to play home games, or be able to play at Madison Square Garden against the [New York] Knicks,” the insider argued.
“Are they going to let him be a part-time player? Are they letting him go in and out of the lineup the whole season – missed games in the playoffs whether at home? Or are they going to tell him you either be a full-time player without accepting 40-semi games this season from you? We don’t want to distract you, we need you to get vaccinated to play. That’s the question that’s hanging over the Nets right now.”
Wojnarowski further added that the six-time all-star’s future with the team will possibly be tackled in the discussion. “I think there’s a lot riding not just on Kyrie Irving’s short-term future, but his long-term future.”
New York City requires professional athletes to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to be allowed to play in indoor public venues within its vicinity. Knowing that Irving’s vaccination status remains unclear, it will bother Brooklyn’s championship aspiration especially in defending the home floor.
The Nets will start the season on the road in an opening night game against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, and Irving’s decision will undeniably play a huge part for his squad moving forward.
