It was a typical Friday afternoon … until news of a Kyrie Irving trade request hit the Internet.
The Brooklyn Nets star guard told the Brooklyn franchise that he would like to be traded ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
If his demands aren't met, the 30-year-old star has decided he will leave during the upcoming free agency in July.
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Irving had previously requested to be sign-and-traded ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season but decided to opt into the final year of his four-year max contract. But while Irving chose to give the Nets another try, the year has seen a few ups and downs.
Kyrie was suspended eight games last November after making a social media post promoting a book and movie that included antisemitic undertones. And while the 31-20 Nets are still in the Eastern Conference playoff race, they've lost seven of their last 11 games since losing Kevin Durant with an MCL sprain.
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Once news of Irving's trade request hit the airwaves, NBA Twitter broke out in an absolute frenzy:
Some fans believe this is the perfect opportunity for a LeBron James-Kyrie Irving reunion to become a reality.
James tweeted in the midst of the trade news as well. And while it's not clear what the King was referencing, it sure was interesting timing.
Just moments before the news of Irving’s trade request broke, he took to Twitter where he left a message to his “peers.”
“Keep people around who CELEBRATE YOU unconditionally and appreciates all of the hard work that gets put in,” Irving said on Twitter.
“Distance yourself from the folks who manipulate, hate, and hurt.”
It's not clear if the Tweet was for the Nets organization directly, but what is clear is that Kyrie is ready to move on.
In Irving's fourth year with the team, he played in 40 games this season, averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game. The Nets are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-20 record and just 5.5 games back of the No. 1-seeded Boston Celtics.
