"We lost a franchise player, and we got a franchise player back; but we didn’t get a chance to see him on the floor" - Kyrie Irving backs Ben Simmons despite questions about his commitment
Kyrie Irving supported teammate Ben Simmons after the Brooklyn Nets were swept by the Boston Celtics in their first-round matchup. Simmons received a lot of criticism after he was ruled out in Game 4 and issues about his commitment surfaced again.
After the Nets' 116-112 loss to the Celtics on Monday, Irving faced the media. He was asked about Simmons, who experienced back soreness just a few days after he was rumored to be ready to play. Irving defended his teammate:
"We lost a franchise player, and we got a franchise player back. But we didn't get a chance to see him on the floor. There was no pressure for him to step on the floor with us, either. Ben's good. We have Ben. we have his back. He's going to be good for next year."
"We lost a franchise player and we got a franchise player back but we didn't get chance to see [Ben Simmons] on the floor. There was no pressure for him to step on the floor with us either. Ben's good, we have Ben, we have his back he's gonna be good for next year."
Kyrie Irving https://t.co/XNkkKWWA5C
The Nets acquired Ben Simmons at the trade deadline from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for James Harden in February. Brooklyn also received two first-round picks, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond. However, Simmons was unable to play a single game.
Commitment issues have been a recurring pattern for Simmons throughout his career, as listed by Basketball Forever.
Simmons disappeared in key moments in his one season at LSU, with the school declining to play in the NIT after the worst loss in SEC Tournament history. He has not suited up for the Australian National Basketball Team since 2017. (Australia won the bronze in Tokyo in the summer.) He quit on the Sixers, and now it seems like he's quitting on the Nets.
What's next for Kyrie Irving?
Kyrie Irving averaged 21.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks per game against the Boston Celtics. Irving played in just 29 regular season games for the Brooklyn Nets, but it seems like he'll be able to play in all games next season.
However, Irving is set to make a decision regarding his contract. He has a $36.9 million player option this upcoming summer. It's possible he will decline and become a free agent. The one-time NBA champion can sign a five-year, 7.6 million deal to stay in Brooklyn.
Irving can also accept the player option and sign a four-year, $191.3 million contract. If Kyrie ever decides to leave Brooklyn, the max contract he can sign is $183.6 million for four years.
Brooklyn Nets offseason preview is up on @hoopshype!
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On Monday, Irving reiterated that he's not planning on going anywhere. Irving said he wants to add this season as a chip to his shoulder and make it his motivation.
"In terms of my extension, I don't really plan on going anywhere," Irving said. "This is added motivation for our franchise to be at the top of the league for the next few years. Just looking forward to the summer and just build it with our guys here."
Kyrie Irving: "I don't really plan on going anywhere. This is added motivation for our franchise to be at the top of the league for the next few years."
So nothing to worry about on the Kyrie front. https://t.co/x3RaEYYJrL