The Nets could be facing trouble this offseason.
www.thebiglead.com
Winfield
reported two important nuggets -- the Nets are now "unwilling" to give Irving a max contract extension, and Kevin Durant hasn't spoken to Brooklyn's front office since he got sent home for the summer by the Celtics.
Nugget No 1:
This is why, as I’ve already written, the Nets’ championship hopes hinge on an amicable solution with Irving, whose personal decision not to get vaccinated and unpredictable injury history have left the Nets hesitant, and now, according to a source familiar with the Nets’ thought process, outright unwilling to give him a long-term extension.
And Nugget No. 2:
If Irving leaves outright as a free agent this summer, disgruntled by the Nets’ hardball stance on his availability, Brooklyn doesn’t have the cap space to replace him with a star, which means Durant, entering Year 16, could be playing with a questionable Ben Simmons (back surgery) and a roster full of role players.
That’s a first-round exit at best – if Durant stays to see it, and according to multiple sources, Durant and the Nets front office have not spoken since they were swept out of the first round.
In layman’s terms, if Irving leaves the Nets, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Durant becomes frustrated with the organization’s ability to put championship pieces around him.
Winfield also accurately points out that Irving will not settle for some kind of short-term arrangement that pays him well while allowing the Nets future flexibility. If he opts into his player option this summer and goes into next year on an expiring contract, one wrong step could lead to an injury that tanks his future earnings potential to an extreme degree. Irving's talent alone gives him the leverage to demand an arrangement more suitable-- and now it appears he has Durant to use as leverage, too. Which isn't necessarily new information, but it seems nearly certain now that Durant's opinion of his mercurial teammate hasn't been altered enough to be open to a big change.