"I don't even do Kyrie Irving a favor; I'll trade Kyrie Irving wherever the hell I want to trade him" - Kendrick Perkins remains adamant that Kyrie Irving is not high on priority list for the Brooklyn Nets
NBA and Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving has his heart set on a move away from the media capital of the world. The guard has exercised his player-option but is keen to take his talents elsewhere.
On ESPN's basketball show NBA Today, former NBA player Kendrick Perkins spoke about how the Nets are not obliged to fulfill Irving's trade demands. Perkins believes that, unlike the situation with Kevin Durant, the Nets can do whatever they please with Irving and trade him whenever they want. Perkins said:
"If I'm the Nets, I don't even do Kyrie Irving a favor. I'll trade Kyrie Irving wherever the hell I want to trade him. I feel like the Brooklyn Nets think they can work hand-in-hand with Kevin Durant, they don't have to do that with Kyrie.
"Kyrie didn't do nothing that they wanted him to do. He disrespected them, why should they do him any favors?"
Irving and the Nets failed to come to terms on a long-term agreement. This led Irving to pick up his player-option worth over $36 million for next season. However, he is seeking a move away from the franchise.
This has also led to Kevin Durant seeking a trade. The Nets find themselves on the brink of losing their two best players in the same summer.
Kyrie Irving's three seasons with the Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets' acquisition of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving made them strong favorites to contend for the title. The Nets were the team to beat once Durant returned to action after rupturing his Achilles in the NBA Finals earlier that year.
All the Brooklyn Nets have to show for these top-tier acquisitions is a series win in the postseason last season against the Boston Celtics. The Nets added James Harden to play alongside Irving and Kevin Durant, branding themselves as heavy championship favorites.
Irving, in his three seasons with the Nets, has played more than 30 games in just one season. His scoring output, however, has been tremendous.
He is averaging 27.1 points on a nightly basis for Brooklyn, but availability continues to be the biggest issue regarding the guard. Irving has consistently missed games for non-injury reasons.
On the 3 year anniversary of their signing with the Nets, it appears the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving partnership might be over.
Over the last 3 years, the Nets played 247 games. Brooklyn had both Durant and Irving on the court together for a total of 58 of those games (23%). https://t.co/0tlEE186h8
The Brooklyn Nets' experiment has been a colossal failure as Irving is on the brink of taking his talents elsewhere. Where he goes is still uncertain as the Nets are now in the driver's seat in terms of deciding the guard's future.