Ahead of Friday’s game vs. Brooklyn, his first as a member of the Mavericks, Kyrie Irving said that asking the Nets to trade him last season was “the best decision of my career,” according to Brian Lewis and Dan Martin of The New York Post.
“I was never on bad terms with the organization,” Irving told reporters on Thursday. “I just think there was a lot of chaos and noise, as usual, from the media. I’m not going to blame you guys or anything, but nobody really knew what was going on behind the scenes. I’m sure that people have their sources they go to [about] what was going on and what really happened.
“… But for me, it was the best decision of my career to ask for a trade. I knew I needed peace of mind.”
Irving, who joined the Nets along with Kevin Durant as a free agent in 2019, had a tumultuous stint with the franchise. He missed 142 of Brooklyn’s 298 total regular season and playoff games during his tenure with the team due to injuries, personal reasons, a refusal to adhere to New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and a suspension related to promoting an antisemitic film.
“It was rough all the way around,” Irving said. “After COVID and after the situations that took place there, there were circumstances that were either in my control or out of my control. And I didn’t want to play the blame game.”
Irving’s inconsistent availability due to his refusal to get vaccinated was reportedly one factor that caused James Harden to sour on playing for the Nets. After Harden requested and received a trade out of Brooklyn in 2022, Durant and Irving eventually followed suit and were both moved a year later, at the 2023 trade deadline.
Irving’s first couple months as a Maverick didn’t go according to plan, as Dallas went just 9-18 following his arrival, including 7-13 in games he played. However, the Mavs reaffirmed their belief in the backcourt duo of Irving and Luka Doncic by re-signing Kyrie to a three-year contract worth at least $120MM in July. The former Nets guard sounds happy to be in Dallas.
“Brooklyn should have just released me, and it would’ve made things a lot easier on everybody,” Irving said with a laugh when a reporter pointed out how much differently Texas handled COVID-19 than New York did. “But, [that’s] 20/20 hindsight.”
Best decision of his career, worst decision of Maverick GMs career
Not really Mavs need a second option and didn’t have to give up much for him if anything best decision for the Mavs.
Sure, but let’s see if he can keep his head straight for a year. It would be a first!
At least in Texas he’s not on the edge of the world.
Reviewing his decisions I would say that it is a pretty low bar when determining his “best” decision.
Sure, just like joining the celtics and the nets were.
It will be interesting to see if the mavs can make this pairing work.
They’ll win games, sure, but you’re not winning a championship with Luka… ever!
Great, great, great player tho! Just needs to have the ball too much too long to be the best version of himself, and that just won’t translate to championship basketball – unless he has 2 of the top 5 shooters in the world standing in the corners.
He doesn’t.
But, they’ll win GAMES!
Their over/under for wins is 43.5 in Vegas – far from top tier.
The Pacers at 39.5 is way low – over is a $ LOCK!
Care to make a wager on Luka ever winning a ring? I’ll take over 0.5. Pretty much a no brainer for you since it’s so certain right?
He has a lot of career left, seems like he’ll get at least 1 eventually.
Kyrie… Nobody cares. You will implode again, because well, its in your nature to ruin whatever you touch.
He’s accomplished 10thousand times what you have in life. But keep talking like you are relevant and have done anything with your life.
Don’t fall of the edge of the earth, isiight!
How do you know they aren’t and haven’t? Just because they’re not an NBA player, doesn’t make them unaccomplished or irrelevant. They may be far more successful and relevant than any NBA player. Especially one as idiotic as Kyrie Irving.
As a Cavs fan, people should trust Kyrie’s word about as far as you can throw a skyscraper. He wanted to leave *the year we won the championship*. Unquestionably the weakest player, mentally, who is still in the league.
Also a Cavs fan and I don’t know if I’d go as far as to call him the weakest player in the league, but it’s par for the course for him to say a bunch of good things about a new team before things inevitably sour in a year or two.
Heard of Ben Simmons?
Talk to him next week and see if he still sounds happy to be in Dallas! The guy makes his own problems then blames everyone else around him
tool
Calling Kyrie a tool is an insult to Tool
Tools are useful and reliable, the only thing Kyrie is useful for is inevitable disappointment and stupidity.
It’s really good to know that Kyrie was pretty much blameless for the chaos in New Jersey…
/s
Dude chose to go to Brooklyn as an FA and took a ton of cash without positively contributing. Didn’t like what happened around him and the place he chose and wanted out.
Pretty much said it all himself right there. Don’t need “sources”.
Sorry man but that’s soft.
As a Nets fan, what I don’t like in particular about these statements is Irving saying that all this stuff was out of his control. He chose not to comply with the city mandate (however you feel about the mandate), he chose to promote that video on Twitter, etc. The fault overall is with the Nets for thinking it was a good idea to bring him in, but still.
“Brooklyn should have just released me.” You mean you should have agreed to a buyout on your guaranteed contract.
The day Kyrie takes accountability for something, hell might freeze over.
Professional NUTJOB
Just when you think he can’t possibly say/do something dumber, he does just that. Leaving bc of the media is the softest excuse I’ve ever heard lol and knowing him probably total bs
That’s a bit rough – Kyrie signs a new contract to stay in Dallas, but he still views getting out of Brooklyn as his best career move. Get used to it Dallas fans, you’re about to see what the Kyrie ride is all about.
In 13 months…
Kyrie Irving: Trade Request Out Of Dallas Was “Best Decision Of My Career”
I think Brooklyn would agree with him as well.
So let’s make sure I have this right.
The media actually caused all of Kyrie’s problems, “as usual”. Being in Dallas solves that problem, because there is actually no journalism or internet anywhere in Texas.
Also, other than the media, nothing wrong was happening in Brooklyn, but he still wanted a trade, to get away from the all the Nothing Wrong Happening. Because the Nothing Wrong Happening was preventing him from having peace. And even though Nothing was Wrong, getting away from The Nothing was the single greatest point of his entire 13 year career.
Easily the most Kyrie media session ever…
It’s funny how he enjoys using the media to control his narrative, but God forbid if anyone else writes or expresses an opinion about him…
The media can not even just state facts about him without him complaining about some conspiracy and simply stating no one understands, yet he also refuses to clarify anything whatsoever…
There was a time I used to defend this dude, but it just seems like he’s gotten more delusional and full of himself as he’s gotten older.
Translation…
“I’m insane and was being told things I didn’t want to believe in Brooklyn.”
Kyrie=drama