Despite recent rumblings, we still know nothing about Kyrie Irving’s future
While the Brooklyn Nets deal with a COVID outbreak, Kyrie Irving is still incognito. The polarizing superstar is currently away from the team due to his unwillingness to get the COVID vaccine.
Recently, there have been rumblings in regards to Irving’s future. Talks of plant-based vaccines, playing road games, and potential trades are starting to surface. However, there is only one reality when it comes to Kyrie Irving — no one knows anything.
Scoop B of Bally Sports was the first to speculate that Irving could be open to a plant-based vaccine. Shams Charania of The Athletic is now reporting that there is “increased communication” between Kevin Durant and his close friend.
Could this open up the door to Irving returning to the team full time? Possibly. Are there talks about bringing Irving back into the fold for road games? Maybe. Is this just another re-hashing of one of the bigger storylines in the NBA this season? Probably.
It’s also worth noting that Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer indicates that the Nets have been willing to discuss Irving with potential trade suitors.
So, what’s actually going on in Brooklyn? Is there renewed optimism around Irving’s return or are they looking for a way to cut bait and move on? The real answer is probably somewhere in the middle.
Aside from a couple of Instagram Live sessions and his Zoom media availability during Nets training camp, we haven’t heard much from Irving. The mercurial guard has always been hesitant to fully open up to the media.
That’s not going to change anytime soon.
Irving set social media ablaze by lacing up his shoes in an Instagram story. But don’t freak out Nets fans. Rather than a subtle hint at a return to the court, this is probably just promotion for his new signature sneaker.
.@KyrieIrving possibly teasing his return wearing the Nike Kyrie 8 ♾ pic.twitter.com/Xo0wXW6ltc
— B/R Kicks (@brkicks) December 14, 2021
We don’t know anything about Kyrie Irving’s future with the Nets. Reports, rumors, and speculation are great for driving traffic to websites and eyeballs to televisions, but it doesn’t do much to help figure out what the hell is going on in Brooklyn.
The Nets are a contender in the Eastern Conference with or without Irving. In fact, they are currently the favorite to win the NBA title at every sportsbook in the country. If he does return, the Nets would become the heavy favorite to win it all (assuming everyone else stays relatively healthy).
We know what the Nets can be with Irving in the lineup. We just don’t know when we will see that again, if ever.
