Kyrie Irving Reveals What Caused The "Chaos" During His Time With The Nets

After the failed Brooklyn Nets superteam experiment was fully ripped apart last season, Kyrie Irving now plays for the Dallas Mavericks. Tonight will see him return to play against his former team for the first time, and ahead of this matchup, he has made some comments regarding his tenure with the team.

Failed Nets Superteam

On paper, the Big 3 of Irving, Durant, and Harden looked destined to win multiple championships when they joined forces in Brooklyn. Along with the Big 3, a plethora of former All-Stars also joined the Nets, such as aging stars like LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin.

Unfortunately, injuries and chemistry issues ultimately prevented the team from reaching an NBA Finals, with their closest opportunity being a Game 7 loss to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. While the injury issues were the biggest cause of their disappointing stint, off-court controversies exacerbated the situation and caused tensions between Irving and his teammates.


Now, just three years after they united, Harden, Durant, and Irving have all been traded away to separate teams, and the Nets look to begin a rebuild with young stars Ben Simmons and Mikal Bridges set to lead this new roster.

Irving's Trade Request

Following Harden's successful trade request and trade to the Philadelphia 76ers, Kyrie opted to follow suit by requesting his own trade from the Brooklyn Nets. Given Irving's star value and his $200 million contract, a trade would not be easy. Considering the strained relationship between Irving and the Nets' front office, Irving actually believed they would be better off waiving him.

"Brooklyn should have just released me, and it would've made things a lot easier on everybody"

Kyrie Irving reflected on his Nets tenure before taking on Brooklyn Friday night:https://t.co/C7TsysAaFT— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) October 27, 2023

Ultimately, the Nets didn't take that route and eventually found a trade with the Dallas Mavericks midway through last season as they looked to create a star backcourt pairing of Doncic and Irving.

Irving Blames the Media

Now, looking to settle down and do his talking on the court for Dallas, Irving has been less and less involved in media controversies. However, ahead of his return to play the Brooklyn Nets, he has commented on the fallout from his time in Brooklyn, where he believed the problem was rooted in the New York media creating "noise" and "chaos" where there wasn't any. He actually claimed to have been on good terms with the Nets.

Mavs guard Kyrie Irving on facing the Nets for the first time tonight since the trade:

"I was never on bad terms with the organization. I just think there was a lot of chaos and noise, as usual, from the media. I'm not going to blame you guys or anything, but nobody really knew pic.twitter.com/nTRRfRLFAh— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 27, 2023

We're unsure how true this comment may be, as at the time there were masses of reports suggesting the opposite. Either way, it will be interesting to see how the infamously hostile New York crowd reacts to seeing the return of Kyrie.

Nets vs Mavericks

After a 2-0 regular season sweep last season, the Mavericks are favored to continue their dominance over Brooklyn as they're listed as a 6-point favorite according to sportsbooks. The Nets are now fully in a rebuild and have a worse roster than last season, whereas the Mavericks have a better roster and are among the top title favorites, with Shaquille O'Neal picking them to win it all.

After an awful preseason, the Mavericks have started their campaign with a victory, and a win tonight will see them go to 2-0 for the season start.

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