The Nets happily traded Irving, and Irving happily joined a new team – The Dallas Mavericks.

Why Irving felt so disrespected by the Nets is obviously partly financial based but he let out another reason. The team apparently did not celebrate him enough.

Here is what Irving said was the reason he wanted a trade from the Nets:

“I just know I want to be places where I’m celebrated, and not just tolerated or kind of dealt with in a way that doesn’t make me feel respected,” Irving said. “There were times throughout this process when I was in Brooklyn that I felt very disrespected. I work extremely hard at what I do. No one ever talks about my work ethic, though. Everyone talks about what I’m doing off the floor. I just want to change that narrative and write my own story and just continue to prepare in the gym and now that I’m in Dallas just focus on what I can control.”

He was asked what, specifically, left him feeling disrespected in Brooklyn.

“That’s another day where I can really go into detail about it,” Irving said.

Here is the news on Kyrie staying with the Nets and KD:

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is opting into his $37 million player option for the 2022-23 season, @TheAthletic @Stadium has learned. Irving is bypassing on multiple opt-in and trade scenarios to fulfill his four-year commitment to the Nets and Kevin Durant.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2022

The Nets are going to move forward and no longer depend on Kyrie who chose to only participate in away games last year due to various mandates. The Nets traded James Harden after his frustration with this and it seems like the front office themselves are ready to move on permanently without Kyrie.

Here is the word from Kristian Winfield:

Irving’s camp has requested and received permission from the Nets to speak with other teams about sign-and-trade packages, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

The belief among both league and player circles is that Irving is gone and the Seven-Eleven Era is over before it ever began.

Shaq is just telling the facts how they are. If Kyrie Irving cannot play home games for the Nets, then the Nets need to work with Kyrie to come up with some kind of solution. Does that mean a trade?

Well hear Shaq’s words on that below:

Shaq shares his thoughts on Kyrie's situation in Brooklyn.

More on #TheBigPodcast: https://t.co/QpyCSrKykQ pic.twitter.com/TnObqC5sTa

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) September 30, 2021

Who said a NBA team needs chemistry?

It seems like as long as your top 3 guys like each other there is nothing stopping you from getting the maximum out of the team in year 1.

Here is how the Nets are trying to trade for James Harden to add him to Kyrie and KD:

A source is telling me that the Nets have engaged in talks with the Rockets. James Harden for a variation of: Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, Taurean Prince, and Jarrett Allen.

Nothing finalized, but Harden to Nets seems like real possibility. If finalized, announced on Nov 22.

— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) November 14, 2020

In the letter Kyrie talks about speaking the truth about mental health, the game of sports entertainment, and dealing with real life off the court. We have to remember these guys are just regular men who happen to have the ability to play basketball well.

Now, will anyone feel sorry for a guy making $30M getting bullied by an arena full of people? No, because most of us would gladly trade places for him and deal with that for what he gets paid but we have to remember things affect different people differently and to Kyrie the NBA career may be more difficult on him than we realize.

Here’s to wishing him well. Boston got their chants off but we all know they don’t want to see Kyrie and KD at full health in a seven game series.

Celtics fans at TD Garden started a "Kyrie sucks" chant

(via @NBCSCeltics)pic.twitter.com/LMojYVsfEY

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 28, 2019

Listen to Lil Boom F*** Kyrie Irving below:

Well, I have a theory.

Kyrie wants the “street cred” from the casual basketball fan.

I don’t care what you say. There is really no other reason. He isn’t going to a better basketball team than anyone with Lebron on it. He isn’t going to come out of the West if he isn’t on the Warriors. He might miss the playoffs if he goes to a Carmelo-less Knicks.

So why leave?

If Kyrie leaves he can become Russell Westbrook 2016. Kobe Bryant in 2004. Tracy McGrady. Damien Lillard. And the list goes on.

With his own squad Kyrie Irving instantly becomes a lone stat padder who will fill SC Top 10’s and be the topic of “what if” conversations for hours on end. Let’s just ignore the fact that Lebron already defers to him and he shoots more shots than everyone except Westbrook in the entire league. With his own squad Kyrie’s basketball brand instantly steps out of the Lebron shadow. Kyrie becomes the guy Kobe stans follow and tweet fantasy arguments that’s he’s better than Jordan, Magic, Bird, Lebron, etc.

Kyrie knows this. He senses the Kobe-esque love Russell Westbrook gets. He knows stats nerds are going to push his brand to the moon. This is the same guy who dates starlets, hangs out with Justin Bieber and trolls on snapchat.

I’m not saying Kyrie isn’t concerned with winning. I’m just concluding that he wants to do it HIS way. He wants to push himself to be THE guy. Not THE guy on the Timberwolves or Bucks, not THE guy in the Western Conference, but THE guy in the basketball culture.

It isn’t exciting winning Eastern Conferences and NBA Finals with Lebron leading the team crafting triple doubles, just as it wasn’t exciting when Shaq was backing down 40 points and fouling out two to three players in the process. That doesn’t matter.

You know what’s exciting? Engineering triple doubles and shooting more than everyone in professional basketball like Russell Westbrook. Scoring 81 points in a single game and struggling to drag Kwame Brown to the playoffs like Kobe Bryant. Lighting up the Warriors for 50+ points with no chance of beating them in a 7 game series like Dame Lillard.

Kyrie might just get what he wishes but at what expense? Will he forgo a potential second or third championship with Lebron? Will he ever make the playoffs again? It seems like to Kyrie that doesn’t matter.

He’s here to become THE guy and that’s all that matters.