Brooklyn Nets star guard Kyrie Irving addresses future with team

The Brooklyn Nets star guard Kyrie Irving couldn’t even make it through their postgame press conference after being swept by the Boston Celtics without having to address his future with the team. But for what it’s worth, Nets fans can be a little more at ease this offseason as Irving said he planned on re-signing with Brooklyn. The former Duke Blue Devil gave his endorsement to the franchise while addressing the loss to the Celtics in the NBA Playoffs.

“Kyrie says he plans to re-sign with the Nets: ‘When I say I’m here with Kev, I think that really entails us managing this franchise together alongside Joe and Sean,'” said Irving, via Scott Cacciola.

Besides saying he planned to return, he’ll also raise eyebrows for saying he and Kevin Durant “manage” the Nets alongside management.

In one of the more surprising storylines of this NBA postseason, the Boston Celtics finished off Brooklyn in four games, sweeping the Nets. In what many figured to be an all-out brawl seven-game series, Boston quickly dispatched Brooklyn. However, those games were anything but easy, as the final point differential in the series was just 16 points.

The Nets put up an exceptional fight despite all the storylines surrounding the franchise in the regular season. From Irving’s battle with the city of New York over vaccine rules and regulations, which prohibited him from playing in NBA games without a vaccination but allowed him to sit courtside maskless, to the mid-season drama with former MVP guard James Harden resulting in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers to the centerpiece of that trade that they acquired for Harden, Ben Simmons, never finding his way back to the court. For now, it’s back to the drawing board for the Nets. And with Kyrie Irving’s plan to resign with the Nets and Kevin Durant under contract for the next three years, Brooklyn’s future looks bright.

NBA announces punishment for Kyrie Irving following Boston game

Kyrie Irving made headlines last week for making obscene gestures and using profane language toward fans. Tuesday, the NBA announced the punishment.

The NBA is fining Irving $50,000 for the incidents, the league said. The decision comes just two days after the Brooklyn Nets guard was seen gesturing toward fans at TD Garden in Boston and someone got video of him using the language afterward into the locker room.

Irving’s season has been a wild ride for Brooklyn because of his vaccination status. New York had a mandate in place saying unvaccinated players couldn’t play in the state. That meant he was a part-time player until New York lifted the mandate right before the end of the season, meaning he’s fully available for the playoffs.

Despite a fantastic game from Irving in Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs, Celtics fans got the last laugh when Jayson Tatum hit a last-second layup to give Boston the 115-114 victory. Irving, a former Celtic, scored 39 points in the loss, including a 6-for-10 shooting night from three-point range. Boston now leads the series 1-0, putting additional pressure on a Nets team that began the season with championship aspirations.