Kyrie Irving’s relationship with Nets was even worse than his Boston Celtics relationship

Given the way Kyrie Irving’s relationship with the Boston Celtics ended back in the 2019 offseason, it’d be totally reasonable to assume that his time in Beantown was the most tumultuous stop in his 12-year career thus far.

Irving’s career has been filled with unreasonable incidents thus far, and the latest was a trade demand following a 139-96 loss to the Celtics that has resulted in him becoming a member of the Mavericks. And apparently, things were even worse between Irving and the Brooklyn Nets than things were in Boston.

As we’ve come to learn via Marc Stein’s Substack (subscription required), Irving’s relationship with Nets owner Joe Tsai was so volatile that one of the objectives of the franchise’s pursuit of an Irving deal was to not send him to his preferred destination, the Los Angeles Lakers.

How things ended with the Boston Celtics and Kyrie Irving

It was seen as a foregone conclusion that Irving was going to leave the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2019. The only question was whether or not he’d end up on the Manhattan side of the East River or not.

Even still, while there were jersey burnings and a full-blown rivalry between Boston and Irving, the Celtics ownership group has not come out and trashed him and vice versa. Interviews from Cs players like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart have all painted the picture that Irving was at least professional while with the Boston organization.

Irving’s (and Kevin Durant’s) input got Steve Nash fired as Nets head coach and he demanded two separate trades from the organization. He also drove away James Harden because of his non-conformity with the COVID-19 vaccine that cost him every away game for most of the 2021-22 season.

Irving’s time in Brooklyn somehow resulted in more hurt feelings from player to management and vice versa than his Celtics stint.

Good luck, Dallas.