Kyrie Irving Reportedly Requests Trade From Brooklyn Nets

Kyrie Irving time with the Brooklyn Nets appears to have run its course.

NBA insider Shams Charania took to Twitter on Friday to report that the All-Star point guard has requested to be traded by next week’s deadline. Should the Nets refuse to move Irving before the Feb. 9 deadline, Charania says Kyrie plans on leaving the team as a free agent this summer.

The news arrives several months after Kyrie requested to be sign-and-traded ahead of the start of the NBA season, before he ultimately decided to opt into the final year of his four-year contract.

Kyrie’s latest trade request continues what’s been a tumultuous tenure for the star point guard in Brooklyn. During the 2020-21 season, Kyrie’s refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine kept him from playing Nets home games until NYC mayor Eric Adams altered the city’s laws.

Earlier this season, Kyrie sparked backlash after posting a link on social media for the documentary Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, a 2018 film that focuses on antisemitic tropes.

He was subsequently suspended for a minimum of five games without pay, and was told to complete six action items in order to return to the team. The demands included a face-to-face meeting Jewish leaders, the completion of sensitivity training, a $500,000 donation to anti-hate groups, and a public apology for promoting the aforementioned film.

In December, Nike ended its partnership with Irving, making the Nets star a sneaker free agent.