Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai didn’t say much about Kyrie Irving during Kyrie’s 3.5-year stay. But it appears he may have played a role in determining where he would be traded – or not traded.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Tsai reportedly had the “objective” of sending him somewhere other than the Los Angeles Lakers. Per the report, Tsai did not want to see Kyrie sent to his preferred destination and reunite with LeBron James.
To that end, the Nets reportedly turned down a lucrative offer from the Lakers. WFAN reported that the Lakers were offering two first-round picks and Russell Westbrook to bring Kyrie into the fold.
However, Tsai apparently took issue with Kyrie’s behavior and may not have been keen on rewarding him for making his franchise look like a laughingstock over the past couple of years.
How Kyrie Irving landed in Dallas two days after asking out of Brooklyn … and why he wasn’t traded to Lakerland or Phoenix … ALL explained in the brand new pod episode of #thisleague UNCUT with @ChrisBHaynes out now: https://t.co/Q0uGIROw6h
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 6, 2023
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Kyrie Irving wound up playing less than 150 games in 3.5 seasons with the Nets and never even got them to the Eastern Conference Finals. Along the way, Kyrie frequently clashed with coaches and the media, while his vaccination status last season kept him away from the team for all but 29 games.
The Nets were probably happy to get at least something back for the player who had given them so many headaches, but they may not have wanted him to get the last laugh.
Do you think Joe Tsai played a role in Kyrie’s trade to the Mavericks?