When it came to forcing Kyrie Irving out of Brooklyn, the now-former Net said he wanted to be a place where he felt “celebrated” rather than “tolerated.”
Irving met with the media on Tuesday for the first time since being traded to the Mavericks on Sunday.
“All I know is that I want to be a place where I’m celebrated and not just tolerated or just treated in a way that doesn’t make me feel respected,” Irving said. “There were times during this whole process when I was in Brooklyn where I felt very disrespected.
“I work very hard at everything I do. Nobody ever talks about my work ethic. Everybody talks about what I’m doing off the floor.
Off the floor is where Irving got himself into hot water, though, be it with his refusal to get a COVID-19 vaccine, which meant he was unavailable for 35 of the Nets’ home games last season. or with its endorsement. An early setback to the Sami film and subsequent apology that season eventually led to a suspension.
Asked what exactly Nate did to make him feel the way he did, Irving declined to say.
“It’s another day where I can really go into detail about it,” he said.
Eventually the Nets decided they had heard enough and Irving wasn’t worth the trouble despite averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds this season. After Irving demanded a deal last week by the Feb. 9 deadline or he wanted to walk in free agency this summer, Brooklyn signed the eight-time All-Star, along with veteran big man Markieff Morris. Sent to the Mavericks for guard Spencer Dinwiddie. , forward Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick and 2027 and 2029 second-rounders.
Irving’s three-plus-year Nets career lasted just 143 of a possible 278 games.
He added that while he doesn’t feel the organization respects him, he doesn’t hold anything against anyone there, citing close relationships he still has with previous teams in Cleveland and Boston. It remains together.
“I need healthy boundaries,” Irving said. “There’s a lot of disrespect to people’s families, to their names. … It’s nothing personal against any of the guys in the front office, that’s what I’m willing to accept.
Read full article here