The Brooklyn Nets made the tough decision earlier this week that NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving will not be playing with the team for the foreseeable future. The Nets do not want Irving participating if he is a part-time player, which would be the case until he receives his COVID-19 vaccination.
Because of the mandates in New York, unvaccinated people cannot attend indoor events. Irving was allowed to practice with the team, as the practice area was deemed a private facility. But, he would be ineligible to play in 43 games during the season.
In addition to all 41 games at Barclays Center, he would not be allowed to play at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.
It was not an easy decision for the Nets to make and one that will certainly be talked about until Irving returns to the court if he ever does. There were a lot of people that were talked to about the decision, including Kevin Durant, James Harden, owner Joe Tsai, and general manager Sean Marks.
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Head coach Steve Nash recently reacted to the decision to have Kyrie Irving sit until he becomes vaccinated.
The decision was a hard one for the Nets to make, but they made the right choice. It would be a constant distraction and Irving would be a huge risk given the strict protocols that the NBA has put into place for players.
As things currently stand, Irving is set to forfeit nearly $15 million in salary for the games he is ineligible to play. It was reported that Irving is not anti-vaccine, but is upset that people are losing their jobs due to vaccine mandates.
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At this point, it would not be shocking if the Brooklyn Nets try to move Irving in a trade. He is a big piece to their puzzle, but if he is going to choose to remain unvaccinated and sidelined, the team will have to do whatever it feels is best to help get this team closer to winning an NBA Championship.
