Why the Knicks should want All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving

Conjecture #2: Kyrie Irving is not loyal

If Kyrie Irving did decide to leave the Nets, there is a fair argument to say this would be the third NBA franchise Irving abandoned in his career.

Irving famously left the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James via a trade request in August 2017, ending up in Boston where it was believed he would be the face of a sprouting young contender. Irving only played there two seasons, though, before packing up to head home to Brooklyn with Durant.

Now, two seasons later, the Cavaliers are a rebuilt playoff contender, and the Celtics got a bid to the NBA finals behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Looking at this, on top of the Nets’ struggles during Irving’s time there, one could argue he does not possess the ability to lead a franchise himself. One could argue that as soon as he faces some adversity within his team, he hits the eject button for a fresh start.

Irving did famously commit to Boston publicly after the organization gave up a first-round pick as well as former All-Star Isaiah Thomas to acquire him, only to leap to Brooklyn where the Nets have failed to make the NBA Finals.

Kyrie Irving has always wanted to play in New York

I think Irving wanting to get out from LeBron’s shadow is something that gets slandered quite often. Even Irving himself has gone on record saying he did not handle the situation correctly, but that it was an inevitable conclusion.

Remember, I am the Kyrie defender for this medium. I do not believe Irving should be ridiculed for wanting the opportunity to create his own legacy, as LeBron had come into Cleveland, took the team as his own, and led them to a championship.

When Irving did request a trade, he was not moved to one of his preferred destinations, which included New York at the time. Boston was not a place Irving felt he wanted to be and amid giving it his best effort (as well as embracing re-signing), the unfortunate passing of his grandfather pushed his decision to want to get to New York even more.

Irving was also quickly about to get surpassed in the eyes of the franchise by the two emerging Boston stars, and rather stay somewhere he was unhappy, in a role he was not happy in, he decided to find somewhere he would be all-in on, rather than giving the Celtics a lessened effort.

Irving’s decision to leave for Brooklyn was ultimately the first decision he made about his teammates and where he played, as he was drafted to Cleveland, where LeBron greatly controlled a roster overhaul and was traded to Boston, outside of his preferred destinations.

Irving, as I said, is undoubtedly himself and acts in his own best interest on most occasions. His decision to leave Boston was purely based on a self desire to play for his hometown franchise and be with his family, as well as getting out of a place where he was not happy.

Kyrie Irving chose the Brooklyn Nets over the New York Knicks

I do not blame Irving and Durant for choosing the Nets over the Knicks to begin with. Irving is, first and foremost, a New Jersey native, so his roots are more closely tied to the Nets as they once were previously located in New Jersey.

The Knicks, at the time, were still regaining some legs from their poverty past and did not have much infrastructure in place to land a top-level star. The front office and coaching staff were a carousel and the roster was extremely underwhelming.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn had risen back to playoff status behind D’Angelo Russell and Kenny Atkinson, and had proven they were ready to become an overnight contender.

If New York was the destination no matter what, at the time, the decision was binary to pick the Nets. They were clearly more prepared for the star tandem.

Why does Kyrie Irving want to leave the Brooklyn Nets?

During Irving’s stance against the mandate and being separated from the team, the narrative quickly made him an enemy to many Nets fans, and this feeling also stemmed into the franchise itself.

It seemed all of Brooklyn’s struggles stemmed down to Irving’s situation, as his lack of presence with the team created frustration when losing. The Nets barely squeezed themselves into the playoffs after losing Harden midseason due to his uneasiness with the situation.

The franchise originally also stated they would not allow Irving to participate in road games that he was indeed eligible to play in, essentially making it clear he needed to be either all-in or all-out with the team.

This might be a fair expectation from the franchise, but it also sent a message that they did not support Irving and his decision and were alienating him. Like I said above, Irving was not alone in this, he was just the only player making headline news due to his circumstances in New York.

While Irving was away, and due to Durant’s recent contract extension, it seemed the Nets were becoming “KD’s team” and the two were no longer a partnership. With Durant taking more of a stake in Brooklyn and the franchise showing a public lack of support for Irving, it would make sense why he is now uneasy about signing a long-term agreement to stay there.

Overall, at face value, it can be argued Irving has never been built to be a franchise face and has cut-and-run on his teams. But through further analysis, it can also be argued Irving has never been in a favorable situation to thrive the way he wants to and he may be another move away from finding his home.