“Please respect my privateness.”

That was Kyrie Irving’s reply to a query posed by ESPN’s Malika Andrews on Monday when requested if he expects to play in house video games this upcoming season. Though Irving was not bodily current for Brooklyn’s media day on account of well being and security protocols, he did take questions from reporters over Zoom.

Whereas there’s not an agreed upon vaccine mandate between the NBA and NBA Gamers Affiliation, gamers who haven’t obtained at the least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine won’t be allowed to play in video games in New York or San Francisco as mandated by native legal guidelines in these cities. That impacts anybody who performs for the Knicks, Nets, or Warriors; visiting groups are exempt.

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In response to the most recent studies, about 90% of all NBA gamers have obtained the vaccine. If present numbers maintain, that leaves between 40-50 unvaccinated gamers throughout the league although vaccination charges are rising because the season nears. As outlined over the weekend by Rolling Stone, Irving is amongst quite a lot of anti-vaxxers inside NBA circles outwardly questioning the validity of the vaccine. To be clear, Irving’s vaccination standing itself stays unknown although his absence on Monday definitely opens the window for additional hypothesis.

What if Kyrie Irving doesn’t play?

Barring a change in league coverage or native legal guidelines, Irving will be unable to play in any of Brooklyn’s 41 regular-season house video games till he receives at the least one dose of the vaccination. Moreover, he would additionally miss street video games on the Knicks (Feb. 16 and April 6) and Warriors (Jan. 29).

One of many largest unknowns stays whether or not or not unvaccinated gamers will forfeit checks ought to they miss video games. When the NBA and NBAPA negotiated within the offseason, sufficient gamers pushed again on a vaccine mandate to the purpose the place it was by no means severely on the desk.

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That is new territory for the NBA who has been a pacesetter in navigating the sports activities world by way of unprecedented occasions.

It was the NBA who moved first in halting play, canceling video games in March 2020 which led different leagues in any respect ranges to comply with go well with. They managed to tug off the bubble in 2020 with zero constructive exams, the results of strict protocols and rigorous testing rules which left zero margin for error. They’ve aggressively promoted testing and labored with native authorities to determine particular game-day pointers to maintain each followers and area staff secure.

And but, what occurs if gamers finally begin lacking video games? 

A technique or one other, this example will work itself out. Video games are on the schedule and it is solely a matter of time till unvaccinated gamers sit out in New York or San Francisco. The Nets are holding the primary portion of coaching camp in San Diego the place Irving will likely be allowed to work out with the crew forward of their first preseason recreation Oct. 3 towards the Lakers in Los Angeles. The primary recreation Irving would doubtlessly miss is the preseason house opener on Oct. 8.

What’s Kyrie Irving’s contract?

Once more, we do not but know if unvaccinated gamers will finally forfeit checks for lacking video games. 

Irving is scheduled to make $34.9 million this season which works out to $425,807 per recreation. Irving has two years left on his present contract and like teammate Kevin Durant — who signed a four-year, $198 million extension this offseason — Irving is eligible to signal a long-term extension. 

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How does Kyrie Irving’s standing impression the Nets?

OK, so what if Irving misses time?

In brief — they’d be high quality. Such is the charmed life for a roster that includes Kevin Durant and James Harden. It is a minuscule pattern measurement however in 99 minutes final season, Nets lineups that includes Durant and Harden however not Irving pummeled groups to the tune of 19.5 factors per 100 possessions. Lineups with Durant on the ground with out both Harden or Irving had been superior, whereas lineups that includes Harden with out Durant and Irving hung robust. Bear in mind, this can be a crew that got here one Durant large toe away from taking out Milwaukee regardless of a hobbled Harden and no Irving.

Given his function and relative strengths on the roster, Irving is as a lot of a luxurious as he’s a necessity.

Zooming out, Brooklyn has given no indication that it has any hesitation in signing Irving to that extension.

With Durant locked in and James Harden quickly to comply with, maintaining Irving within the fold solidifies and extends Brooklyn’s championship window for the foreseeable future.

And but questions round his availability and general dedication loom massive. Off the court docket points apart, Irving has lengthy struggled to remain on the ground courting all the way in which again to his rookie season when he missed 15 video games. He has missed at the least 10 video games in all however one season and for his profession, has appeared in simply 74% of his crew’s potential video games.

Past the most recent problems and uncertainty, Irving commonly missed time final season whereas taking a number of absences for non-injury and non-basketball-related causes. It is completely cheap to at the least take an extended look within the mirror and ponder whether or not the uncertainty and drama are value reducing a examine for an additional $200 million.