Executive poll casts doubt on Kyrie's NBA future

Sam Amick of The Athletic asked five front office heads and six other league executives about the Brooklyn Nets situation, and they weren't encouraging about Kyrie Irving's future job prospects. None of the eleven thought Irving's career would be over after this contract, even after he was suspended for sharing antisemitic content a year after he missed 53 games over his refusal to get vaccinated. But none of them said they themselves would be interested.

“There’s always going to be a team that’s desperate enough to sell their soul for the guy on a short-term deal, thinking they have the right leadership in place to handle him," said an unnamed executive. "I think whatever happens with him, it’s gonna be one-year deals from here on out. I don’t think anybody gives him a long-term deal. You just can’t."

It wasn't the controversy that scared off the executives as much as Irving's unreliability. Be it injuries, suspensions, vaccines or "family and personal stuff", Kyrie has missed 126 of Brooklyn's 237 games since signing as a free agent in 2019. That's 53 percent of the team's regular season games, and he's also missed seven of their 20 playoff games.

Another executive insisted that Irving was a huge risk despite being extremely talented, telling Amick, "No one wants to be the one who gives him the first chance. … I mean, he’s clearly an NBA player, and he’s probably one of the top 10 guys in the league. But he’s an extraordinarily high-risk person.”

One team that's also hesitant to bring in Kyrie? His own Brooklyn Nets, who have established six conditions before they'll end his suspension.

While Jaylen Brown and the Players Association "have issues" with the conditions for reinstatement, Irving's issues go beyond this single season. If Irving doesn't address this controversy more seriously than with a late-night apology on Instagram, he's likely to find that the Nets aren't the only team he can't play for.