It’s easy to categorize Kyrie Irving’s decision to opt in to the last year of his contract with the Nets as a no-brainer. After all, the option is worth a whopping $36.5 million, a not inconsiderable sum under any circumstance and carrying even more value in light of the small fortune he lost over the last year. Because he managed to suit up in only 29 regular-season games owing to his firm commitment to stay unvaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, he was docked around $17 million in salary. Meanwhile, he stands to give up even more moolah in the face of his imminent divorce with Nike.
To argue that Irving is easy to figure out would, however, necessitate engaging in revisionist history. In fact, there’s nothing easy about him — and not simply because of his partiality to conspiracy theories and scientifically debunked positions. And, make no mistake, he wanted to leave the Nets following the latter’s refusal to provide him with a maximum contract extension. He even went so far as to identify potential sign-and-trade destinations. Given his mercurial nature, he would not have raised eyebrows had he opted out and, say, latched on to the Lakers for the $6-million midlevel exception.
That Irving managed to rein in his Hyde side is, perhaps, the surprise. Needless to say, he stuck around because of the money, and because he still has the chance to explore any and all opportunities next year. And he may well have done so because of good friend Kevin Durant and the prospect of them continuing to make beautiful music together on the court. His constant flirtation with the uncertain notwithstanding, he cannot but see the value in consorting with the devil he’s familiar with than with the devil he does not know.
Irving isn’t stupid. Considering the lack of interest in his services, he understands that he can also use his 2022-23 campaign as a means to rehabilitate his reputation. The problem isn’t his skill set; at his best, he’s a Top 15 player with an uncanny capacity to puncture the hoop. It’s his reliability — or, rather, lack thereof. He’s a high-risk-high-reward proposition, and going all in on him hasn’t seemed to be worth the aggravation. It’s why the Nets have played hardball with him, and why they may yet see him at his finest before he bids goodbye.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
