Kyrie Irving to exercise $36.9 million opt-in with Nets

The Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan had The Last Dance. It appears next season will be The Last Chance for this group of Nets, as Kyrie Irving has agreed to stay with Kevin Durant for one more season in Brooklyn.

Irving told The Athletic on Monday that he is opting into his $36.9 million option with the Nets next season, ending weeks of speculation that he would leave for another team. Irving’s decision later was confirmed by Newsday.

Irving’s move means he and Durant have one more year to win the title that has eluded them since they came to the Nets as free agents three years ago. “Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow,” Irving told The Athletic. “I’ve made my decision to opt in. See you in the fall. A11even.”

Not exactly sure what that means, but Irving’s announcement ends a two-month standoff between the Nets and their seven-time All-Star point guard. Irving had been seeking a maximum contract, but the Nets did not want to give him one because of his lack of dependability the last three seasons.

Though Irving is an incredible talent when he plays, he appeared in only 103 of a possible 226 games with the Nets in the last three seasons. He played in only 29 games last season, missing a large chunk because of his refusal to get vaccinated like the rest of his teammates so he could play at Barclays Center.

When Irving and Durant came to the Nets as free agents in the summer of 2019, many predicted multiple championships. Instead, in the three years the two have been under contract, the Nets have never reached the conference finals.

This year was the most disappointing. The Nets had a drama-filled regular season that featured a trade demand by James Harden and were swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Celtics.

Irving announced in his postgame news conference after the sweep that he had no intentions of leaving the Nets or Durant. Last summer, with minimal fanfare, Durant signed a four-year, $148 million contract extension with the Nets.

Several weeks later, however, general manager Sean Marks made it clear that the team was reluctant to hand a longer-term contract to a player who had proved less than reliable.

“He has some decisions to make,” Marks said last month. “We’re looking for guys that want to come in here and be part of something bigger than themselves, play selfless, play team basketball and be available.”

Negotiations with Irving during the past week got so acrimonious that he gave the Nets a list of teams to which he would be willing to be traded. That list included the Lakers, the Clippers, the Heat, the Mavericks, the 76ers and the Knicks.

The Lakers appeared to be the most desirable destination, and as of early Monday, there was talk of either a sign-and-trade being worked out or Irving going to the Lakers for their mid-level exception of $6 million. As much as Irving might have talked about how great it would be to be reunited with the Lakers’ LeBron James, the prospect wasn’t enticing enough for him to give up more than $30 million in salary to do so.

The news has to be a huge relief for Nets fans. There was concern that Durant might demand a trade if the Nets let his good friend walk.

Now, despite all the drama, the Nets will return next season with a team talented enough to challenge for a title if everyone remains healthy. That’s a big if. In the past three seasons, Durant and Irving have played only 44 games together.