Should the Brooklyn Nets give Kyrie Irving a contract extension?

Brooklyn Nets $50,000 for breaking local laws and allowing Irving back in the locker room for the rest of the team. This is because the locker room is technically a part of the work environment.</p> <h2>Should the Brooklyn Nets give Kyrie Irving a contract extension?</h2> <p>But for as much of a headache it’s been for the Nets not to have Irving this season, when he has been on the court, Irving has been nothing short of phenomenal.</p> <p>In a win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, Irving <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/16/brooklyn-nets-kyrie-irving-extension/"https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/kyrie-irving-erupts-for-career-high-60-points-as-nbas-scoring-binge-shows-no-signs-of-slowing-down/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped 60 points</a>, and he was even subbed out with over eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.</p> <p>This marked a career-high for Irving and also the franchise record for the Nets. Irving put on a Master Class, and he has been for the past few weeks.</p> <p>His 60-point game came not long after Irving 50 points in a win over the Charlotte Hornets. Irving became the fourth player this season with multiple 50-point games.</p> <p>The other three are LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, and Irving’s teammate Kevin Durant. Everyone knows how elite Irving is, but he’s been on another level this season.</p> <p>All things considered, his play as of late raises one very important question – should the Nets give Irving a contract extension? What are the pros of extending Irving for multiple seasons? What are the cons?</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/16/brooklyn-nets-kyrie-irving-extension/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Pros </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_443201" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-443201" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/16/brooklyn-nets-kyrie-irving-extension/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1384865205.jpeg" alt="Brooklyn Nets, Kyrie Irving" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1384865205.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1384865205-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 08: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets brings the ball up court against the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on March 08, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>Should the Brooklyn Nets give Kyrie Irving a contract extension?: Pros</h2> <p>The pros to giving Kyrie Irving a contract extension are clear. He’s one of the best point guards in the NBA, and his level of play as of late has been that of a top-ten player in the league.</p> <p>It’s very clear that the Brooklyn Nets are an elite-level basketball team when Irving is on the floor. When both Irving and Kevin Durant play, the Nets are 51-26 all-time.</p> <p>If Brooklyn wants to compete for a championship for the rest of Durant’s prime, then having Irving around is the clear top option, especially because the two are friends.</p> <p>In addition, Irving is only 29 years old, so he has plenty of prime years left. Even if the Nets wanted to give Irving a three or four-year extension, he’d probably still be playing at this level by the end of his deal.</p> <p>Plus, the only reason Irving hasn’t been able to play in home games this year is because of the private mandates in New York. But with how things are trending, those mandates could be gone sooner rather than later.</p> <p>Once this happens, Irving will be able to play in home games, and everything would (hopefully) be back to normal. If and when that happens, giving Irving an extension is a no-brainer.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/16/brooklyn-nets-kyrie-irving-extension/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Cons </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_443202" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-443202" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/16/brooklyn-nets-kyrie-irving-extension/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2119,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1383234264.jpeg" alt="Brooklyn Nets, Kyrie Irving" width="3200" height="2119" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1383234264.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1383234264-768x509.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 10: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets reacts during the game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on February 10, 2022 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>Should the Brooklyn Nets give Kyrie Irving a contract extension?: Cons</h2> <p>The first, most glaring con of giving Kyrie Irving an extension is the unknown of when New York City will lift its vaccine mandates. Most people assume that will be soon with the way things have been trending, but no one really knows.</p> <p>Let’s say that the mandates aren’t lifted by the start of next season. This seems extremely unlikely, but what happens if another variant pops up? What if mandates go away and come back?</p> <p>Irving has made it very clear that he does not wish to be vaccinated, which means that whenever vaccine-related mandates are in place, he won’t be able to play games in New York (or Toronto, for that matter).</p> <p>At the start of the season, the Brooklyn Nets made it clear that they would not accept Irving as a part-time player who wasn’t able to play in home games. And while they folded on that belief mid-way through the season, would they be willing to have him be a part-time player in the future?</p> <p>But even if (and when) the mandates get lifted, it’s become clear how big of a nuisance having Irving on your team can be. Even outside of the vaccine mandate hullabaloo, all of his other antics need to be taken into account.</p> <p>So, while the Nets will almost certainly choose to extend Irving, it’s not a crazy conversation to have. Would they be better off letting him go and finding another co-star for Kevin Durant?</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="NBA Power Rankings Week 21" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/12/nba-power-rankings-week-21/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/16/brooklyn-nets-kyrie-irving-extension/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/12/nba-power-rankings-week-21/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> NBA Power Rankings Week 21 </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">