10:30pm: Irving has officially opted in, according to RealGM’s transactions log.
5:50pm: Kyrie Irving has decided to opt in to his contract for 2022/23, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. By exercising the $36.9MM option, Irving is bypassing multiple opt-in-and-trade scenarios in order to fulfill his four-year commitment to the Nets and Kevin Durant, according to Charania (Twitter links).
Irving is entering the final year of his four-year, $136.5MM deal.
“Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow,” Irving said in a statement. “I’ve made my decision to opt in. See you in the fall. A11even.”
By exercising his option, Irving is now both extension- and trade-eligible, though it doesn’t sounds as if either is happening in coordination with the opt-in. The seven-time All-Star will remain extension-eligible up until next June 30 and could tack on up to four years to his expiring deal.
If Irving signs an extension exceeding two years, he would become ineligible to be traded for the next six months; if he’s traded, he would be ineligible to sign an extension longer than two years for the next six months.
Irving’s contract option technically has a base value of about $36.5MM, but the cap hit is $36.9MM due to likely incentives, and it can go as high as $37.7MM if he reaches all his incentives.
The opt-in closes the door on the possibility of Irving of taking a massive pay cut and signing with a new team, such as the Lakers, for the mid-level exception. However, it’s unlikely the drama surrounding Kyrie will end any time soon — since he’s now on track for unrestricted free agency in 2023, he could reemerge as a trade candidate within the next year if he and the Nets don’t agree to an extension.
The Nets, who were reportedly unwilling to offer Irving a long-term contract, have been playing hardball in negotiations with the 30-year-old and essentially threw it in his lap to find a viable sign-and-trade scenario. He was unable to do so, which has led him to exercising the option, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Irving had until 5:00 pm ET on Wednesday to officially make a decision on that option.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that the Lakers were the only team willing to engage in serious sign-and-trade talks with Brooklyn and they lacked attractive pieces to ship back to the Nets in a potential deal.
With Irving’s future up in the air during the last week, multiple reports indicated that Durant was also mulling his options. But with Irving seemingly on track to return to the Nets for next season, Durant presumably won’t be looking for an exit ramp out of Brooklyn.
I’m finding it hard to feel bad for the nets. But this is a train wreck
Lol not from Kyrie’s pov. More like a windfall if you look it his way
Agreed, 40 games and 40mil
Last week, Sankara, you wrote about how much power Irving has, but opting in seems more like a surrender to the reality of the Nets’ position. We’re you wrong last week?
He wanted a 5 year max, supposedly was offered 2 years at $84 mil, and is going to play a final contract year and become a UFA.
If he doesn’t play the best he has in years, his already damaged market for his services will be even smaller.
True love is unconditional
Money is not a factor
There is no love between Lakers and Irving
Why not sign Vet Min with Lakers?
If SNT, it would cost Lakers 2 future Firsts and more
Will Lakers give him max contract next summer?
$30M reasons.
I talked about this every day
Lakers are not seriously interested in Irving
Irving is not seriously interested in Lakers.
Money, Money and Money
Ha!!! What did I tell you bums! He was fronting!all that Fake News and ridiculous scenarios. Kudos to the Nets for not folding
Big talk coming from a fan of a team which has won absolutely nothing in recent memory.
So in the last Irving article you went after Hoops Rumors with
casorgreener • 2 hours ago
HA! Yeah these chumps are just using cool words and phrases for clicks and headlines.
Now you are coming back for a (sad internet) bow in the next KI article comments section? Why no reply earlier you ask ? There’s nothing here but burnt rubble and ashes to respond too …but since you ask…..
This is a Basketball FORUM !! As Orien told you plainly below; don’t like, don’t click ……. but surely surely don’t come into somebody else’s house, tell them the carpet stinks and then ask them for a glass of water. That’s why I included your name below on my post
I was not knocking this website! was knocking Windhorst for saying it was a “Grade A stare down” as was the poster to which I responded. He made a joke about some cholos. Stop with the Fake News dude. It’s people like you who try to twist words and statements to create false narratives. Try that with someone else.
C&C, you’re thinking of Sank.
I don’t get getting excited over “staredown”. People have the right to say no. In this case, No extension. It’s not dramatic, the door is still open, to continue with metaphors.
Get that $ boy!
He already had that cash.
And now he’s gonna have about $37M more lol
It was already guaranteed. Kyrie has lost all leverage now.
He didn’t have leverage which is why he opted in. So by opting in they got to pay him all that after he saw his current value had become less after last year. He should be in a much better position to be paid if he can have a solid season without missing more than say 20 games.
No, he was already under contract for that cash.,
Media makes mistakes
There are only two options
Opt in
Sign $245 million contract
Lakers need to accept the fact by giving Irving huge money
The Lakers only wanted him if they could get him for the TMLE.
There is no chance of them signing him now.
Well that ended quickly. Drama heads like me out here in shambles.
Irving is considering declining his 37mil option and signing with lakers for 6mil
Windy and Woj
20mins later Irving picks up his option
GET THESE FOOLS OFF TV
You really don’t think KI would say something so foolish? That’s all he knows.
Dude, they aren’t trying to report anything, they’re trying to get you to pay attention to them.
This is not complicated.
Amen Orien
The double edged irony sword coming in the form you got these guys in here like 13 Morgs and Cesar Green following a Hoops Rumor site tooth and nail as they complain about rumors
There shouldn’t be much debate we are getting dumber as a society on a whole nowadays
If you want my attention get under my post chump. Don’t throw rocks and try and hide in a safe place. I don’t complain about rumors I point out which ones are clearly false. Now go eat a bowl of cereal som and stop with the nonsense!
You probably mad because you were buying the nonsense and making up ridiculous scenarios based on a lie.
So now we are debating who’s trying to get attention. Ok then.
Educating. Not debating.
The only fools are the fools who fell for any of this. All it took was a dose of common sense and a reading of the room to understand Kyrie probably wasn’t going anywhere.
Sometimes it’s better to, you know, actually use and trust your brain rather than folks trying to spoon feed you stuff with ulterior motives in mind.
Irving made his shortlist too short… Imagine if he included Spurs, like he included late last in 2017 too.
There’s lots of anticovidvaxxers towards thar region, and room for more contracts too.
Pops missed his chance.
I agree that all talking heads should give themselves a collective shake!
Irving continues to act out, a 30 year old man child.
His behavior does not earn many people’s respect. Please that he makes a great deal of monies. But as Charles Barkley stated that he was not a role model. Neither is Kyrie.
Whaaaa…….he’s not goin to the lakers?
Next year
Still could if LA can find someone to take Westbrook in the deal.
Pistons can find a way to take WB $47 million
Nets take 2 Lakers future Firsts and salary cap
Unlikely
Sad day for Lakers
Clown
Yawnnnnn who cares……..
Clearly alot of ppl. Most fans of basketball
Two attempted sentences. Two abject failures.
Those who dare to be different lead us to tomorrow? Who does this guy think he is? I would trade him anywhere for anything.
Anyone thinks he’ll play more than 2 Games next season?
I do!
Well, that was anti-climactic.
Finally. In the stare down that wasn’t, KI realizes he’s alone in it, and caves. Into the right answer. Too bad, he could have earned the respect of everyone (from the FO to his teammates to the fanbase), by just doing this up front. No mea culpa was or is needed. Just an acknowledgment that he couldn’t deliver like he wanted to last year, and it was fairer to everyone to just run it back.
KI for Ayton is next
Move Paul to center. I like it.
So, it took him 20ish minutes to realize none of the 6 teams he had on his wish list either couldn’t afford him, didn’t want him, or had nothing of value to send back in a trade?
I was under the impression everyone with half a clue (and myself, with only about a quarter of a clue regarding most NBA contract/trade stuff) already knew that 3 minutes after his preferred destinations were revealed.
Well we can stop talking about the Lakers.
Will find another reason to miss 1/2 the season and get paid.
Best case scenario here for Brk
Let’s see how Irving and Ben fit together for 40 games than we can reconvene (or not) back here around the TD
This is the last shot tho probably and a bad first half might not even get ya a 2nd half. Should be a fun team to watch next year
like he was ever gonna leave 30m to play for the MLE
funny some people really believed that
Absolutely hilarious. Good luck, Nets!
Did he clarify if different refers to signing or whining?
I’m so over this MF’er…
“Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow,” Irving said in a statement. “I’ve made my decision to opt in.”
What does ANY of this mean???? “Daring to be different” in this situation would mean opting out, therefore “daring to be different” to your initial contract structure. How dumb is this guy??? IQ gotta be like 79, Pedro Guerrero levels….
He’s an idiot’s idea of a smart person.
Kyrie is the one of the dumbest “smart” people in the world. He is borderline stupid.
its not like we didn’t already know
“When I started actually doing research on my own and figuring out that there is no real picture of Earth, not one real picture of Earth—and we haven’t been back to the moon since 1961 or 1969—it becomes like conspiracy, too.”
Told ya, too much money for even a crazy guy to pass on.
Irving Mills Curry Harris Thomas Durant Simmons team got a lot of talent can they resign Brown and Clax and add a C in free agency another vet wing and big
I’ll put them as favs if healthy
GSW stomping them into oblivion, who cares
Lol. WAY too many question marks at this point, led by Simmons and Harris comeback bids.
Let’s see what Marks is able to do to shore up the mismatched roster now that the Kyrie/Durant drama is over.
The man lost a ton of cash last season, losing a ton more to join the lowly Lakers was never a option. Kyrie is a hell of a player the nets are dangerous.
Not a huge Kyrie fan. But want him to stick it to nets for not supporting his choice not to get vaccine
Crazy does attract crazy.
How did the Nets not support him? They bent over backwards to accommodate him. How on earth could they have supported him more than they did? The front office and the coaching staff went above and beyond to accommodate a dude who was more about himself than he was about actually playing basketball. How much did they pay him to sit out?
So you are supporting him for not doing the right thing and take a vaccine that would save peoples’ lives?
Very forward thinking..
hypothetically:
Lakers have only AD on the books passed this year. Lebron becomes a free agent. LA holds his bird rights. Could they sign two free agents to close to max deals
Example:
Kyrie 30 million a year and say jokic to 30
Million a year. AD Already on the books. Then they can resign Lebron too or no ? And have close to 4 max contracts ?
Lebron’s cap hold wouldn’t allow them to sign a forth star unless lebron resigns for practicaly nothing
Love that a team is finally exercising their power.
We won’t max you or offer you a long term deal cause you don’t deserve it.
Allowed him to find a trade which they didn’t have to do and he couldn’t find anything.
Be interesting to see how this plays out now.
Kyrie needs to just stay in the meds. I’m all for players having a voice and standing for what they believe in but this guy is simply just not healthy mentally. He’s borderline crazy which is a shame cause he’s actually a phenomenal player
Well he wasnt crazy enough to opt out. He has lost all leverage. Now, Nets can trade him if they want to or they can see how motivated Kyrie will be for next yr. He will now need train and earn his next contract.
Well sorry Nets fan, you are stuck with his overrated backside. Lets hope he does not totally destroy your franchise. DUMP HIM as soon as its possible.
Laker fan, you dodged a HUGE, trumpie sized, mistake. Congrats!!!
Irving added: We must go forward, not backward, upward not downward and twirling..twirling towards freedom
Kyrie blinks. Nets “win.”
Irving’s quote was pompous and self-demeaning. He does not lead anyone, never has… So I guess he keeps the world going. Keeps people talking anyway.
What is he the reason for?— who is following, and for what?
“A11even”… I wonder if he wants people to say that, his jersey number… Not exactly a slogan that demands to be said.
So full of himself. You play with a ball for a living. You haven’t cured cancer or changed anything in the world. And the cherry on top, you are an irresponsible, selfish man, who has no clue what it is to be a team player.
Tru dat
Nice to see that the predictions of most of the knowledgeable fans happened and Kyrie’s reputation as a cancer was confirmed.
It’s up to him now to put up a great season or face even less interest as a UFA next year.