Back compost bins, go ahead with you.
Christian Winfield going to join us here from the New York
daily news. Kyrie Irving of course opted into the final
year of his contract worth
well over thirty five million dollars with the Brooklyn Nets
you know he caught it a brave act or something
like that. Like a brave act he called himself daring
to be different, Christian Winfield for the New York daily
news joining us. Christian also a couple days ago before that
At the news that Kyrie received permission
from the Brooklyn Nets to go out and seek
a sign-and-trade. So Christian as we start with you,
how does Kyrie walk into that building? Even as a part-time
employee? How does he walk back into that building after
saying, you know what, I want to get out and find somebody
else to dance with. I got to come back and dance with y'all.
Sorry. Asses
you know he's got to walk back into the building humbly you
know like this was a situation that he brought on himself that
he brought on to the Nets and the
All this blood for the end of the day. They said, hey if
you've got other offers on the table, go explore. And if not
just come back here and run it back and prove that you earned
that you deserve that long-term extension.
And I mean, look, the numbers speak for themselves. 103
games, over the first three seasons in the NBA in, with
the Nets. I mean, the talent, obviously, speaks for itself.
We consider him, one of the most skilled players of all
time, but is he going
to do? What it takes to be with his teammates, for a Full Slate
of games in a season? That's what it's going to take. And
that's how Kyrie is going to have to approach this season.
Going to have to approach it humbly. Welcome back into those
doors. Remember the next can still trade him?
Even if even if it wasn't a sign-and-trade. So he's got to
come in there. He's got to put in the work. We know he puts in
the work behind the scenes but now he's got to put in the work
on TV. 82 games in a season
if he's going to win the trust of this front office back.
But yeah
Kristen would I want to know is the
ridiculous amount of drama
around this team
around this particular player
and and Kevin Durant in this whole marriage from the front
office to the Joe Harris thing like there were just headlines
Galore covering this team.
Is there ever a moment when you are just like, I wish this were
the Sacramento Kings.
Can I get some drink?
No, nothing.
Is that any team? You could have named please don't, don't
have me going to Sacramento that have been terrible.
Listen, and I say this all the time I don't ever really have
to go looking for the stories and stories, come looking for
me, right? Whether it's Ben Simmons, with his
James Harden, Kyrie KDE Joe
Coleman. I mean, it's been it.
I've been, I haven't got
Rest up until even really now with all this offseason stuff,
I can't wait to take a vacation. But what I traded for
a different beat? Probably not. I mean, you're building
a relationship, you get into cover, you know, there's
something
to say about being able to cover players who are competing
at the top of the class where I like being able to cover Kevin
Durant, ask him, what goes into being one of the best players
of all time, really, and then
kind of taking some of those gems. And looking at how you
can use those gems to improve your career, improve your life,
or what things that players are doing. And that you can do
right. Sometimes you don't get that on other beats. But I'm
blessed in our beat, is blessed to be
able to cover some of the best of all time. So now I wouldn't
trade it
for the world and especially not for the Sacramento Kings.
I figured it, I figured I would be your answer. I know this is
like a little inside journalism
discussion right here, though, but I was just curious to it,
because I remember when I was at the Daily News, like run
720,
2017 2018,
and I was on that, you know, Race Sports social issues
politics feature. If you How to NFL was during that time like
I was it was something every single day
I was writing about and I was wondering, do you ever feel
like with the way the Nets have been all season the last two
years and even this offseason,
there's always a story there but it sometimes you feel like
there's not enough time to do all the stories you want. And
that sometimes you leave something, you know, on The
Cutting Room floor that you wanted to explore more,
absolutely. But at the same time, that's the nature of
journalism, right? Like if if I want to write this profile, On
the the seventh or eighth, man Off the Bench and Kyrie decide
say I'm not going to get vaccinated. Well,
Kyrie, not getting vaccinated is more important than
anything. I could have thought of in the moment, right? So
sure, there's probably some stories that I wasn't able to
get to last season. You know, something. Some relationships
that I wasn't able to make. But on top of that, listen,
hopefully we're getting locker room accessed again this
season. And that opens up a whole different set of stories
that we were unable to get to last year. I mean, I think
a lot of us took for granted locker room access before
the pandemic came and now that looks like we
Getting that back this year coming up. I mean talk about
stories. We're going to have our pick of the litter soon. So
yeah and one and it's like, okay. When does it ever stop?
This always just like a storm of stories, whether it's good
bad when it comes to this team, but on the other end I mean
I'm on top of a superstar driven team. That's trying to
compete for a championship. Wouldn't trade it for
the world.
This is a Christian. That might be putting you in an unfair
position. Here.
I don't think I am.
I don't think I am. But
do you really believe that this Kyrie Irving Brooklyn that Saga
is over because to me this end of the little to cleanly for
me,
he opted into the contract, he issued his. He issued his
statement about daring to be different as if I'm thing into
36. Million dollars is daring to be different. Like you need
to explain that to me,
but
this ain't over. It.
No, it's what the Nets essentially did was kick. This
can down the road one season. You know, at the end of
the day, this is kind of just like a one-year contract going to
way we're now, the Nets have a decision to make this time next
year and it puts pressure on both parties for Kyrie. Now you
have to perform in a contract year where you have no
guarantees. You really don't want to get hurt because if you
suffered any type of significant injury
that obviously impacts your ability to get a contract next year,
but for the Nets, you know, if Kai Reed comes out, he plays 82
games, or Whatever is closed 70 plus games and he looks like
that 50-40-90 guy that we've seen and be like, okay, well
now you've got to actually give him whatever the
deal is five years, four years 200, and some plus million. And
if you don't, now you're really now, you're really back at
square one, right? So, what the nest did was they put Kyrie in
a position where he said, hey, you have to prove that you
are others who deserve this money,
and these these guaranteed years. But at the same time,
all they really did was Kick the Can down the road, because
eventually, they're going to have to make a decision on
this, and they still reserve the right to trade. Him as
well. So it there's a lot of moving Parts here that are
unresolved and like you said
for something that was so messy played out in public and it
kind of cleanly and I don't think it's over to begin with
at all.
It feels like that. I'm gonna let you have it, imma let you
have it but I think there's I would not be surprising if he
doesn't play another game in a broken that uniform.
I'm just
I'm just let that marinate. I'm with y'all like it feels like
it was to clean. It feels like when you have two movies and
you watching you know,
MCU film and people get up. And leave before the post-credits.
And this is like, nah you can't, it can't just be over.
Like, there's got to be
one more Scene.
It just, you just know like some more drama has to happen.
Whether that's from Kyrie
offseason signing or Joe Harris coming back or if Ben Simmons,
something happens again and he can't play it. Just feels like
get that was too simple
for this team. Not have any more drama into training camp Stars
Oh for sure. You already seeing Quotes come out reported in hey
the the front of us would like for Kevin and Kyrie to come
back and start quote, unquote, team building. When the team
isn't even already put in place,
you know. I think that there was really like a power
struggle between Kyrie and the front office right now and
obviously the front office one. But I mean, we're not
accustomed to seeing Kyrie being happy when he doesn't
come out on the, on the top of things. So,
I'm really interested to see. I don't know if I would go as far
to say as he won't play another game in Brooklyn on ever, put
on this jersey. I think That what if he
gave him Ben Simmons? And Kevin Durant are all healthy on
the same roster and you're building that team. I didn't. That is
a real championship team. But, I mean, at the same time,
Kyrie is done himself. No favors. By the way, he's
carried himself. I'm, we're talking about two seasons ago
when he took two weeks off after the Insurrection at
the Capitol, but somehow, I'm not getting vaccinated not doing
what it takes to be there with your team,
has really done himself any favors, and now it's future is
kind of out of his hands.
And last name for me, Christian,
do we know where Kevin Durant? Actually sits on his nails.
These this assumption that if Kyrie won't mount upon his way
out, that Kevin Durant was going to be sold out of
the door.
Did you? Are you led to believe the same thing? Or was that
people assuming a cause led to an effect?
I think it's somewhere in the middle, right? So obviously,
yes, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, have this really strong
relationship but I think the where that came from his if
the Nets lose Kyrie and don't get him back, don't get anything
back for him,
then that's not being able to compete for her Championship
would be ultimately What Les is what leads Kevin Durant's to
leaving. If Kyrie leaves and the Nets are able to get pieces
and return that still or maybe even improve their odds at
winning a championship. I don't
see Kevin Durant leaving.
I think it all boils down to
Do the Nets have a chance to truly compete
with the bucks with the Celtics would be heat and with the guys
out west and if they don't, that's what gets Kevin Durant
out the door. But I don't think it's simply cause and effect is
the middle ground of. Okay. Well,
what do the Nets get if Kyrie ends up leaving
if those pieces they get back, can help them win
a championship. I don't think Katie walks out the door right
away.
Christian Winfield. Free agency is less than I guess it's
a day.
It's like 15 hours away. Basically, in some of the news
and starting to trickle out and I know you got to get back to
working the phones. Now appreciate you joining us Man.
Three Brothers on national TV.
The phone lines will probably be cut right after we leave this.
Appreciate you having me guys, anytime brothers
and you go, you do good work, brother free shaking my.
Thank you. Thank you.