“The culture was toxic at the end” - Nick Friedell says he’ll be surprised if Kyrie Irving is still with the Brooklyn Nets at training camp

There has been no charter regarding Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving's trade away from the franchise. His supposed move to the LA Lakers has not materialized, which has in turn made people contemplate the possibilities.

The Nets refused to offer the six-time All-Star a maximum contract extension, which could see him earn within the ballpark of $250 million over a five-year span. The franchise was in doubt as regards his loyalty and commitment to play. It was because of his antics in the previous season that saw him miss several games.

In a bid to ascertain his level of commitment to the franchise, the Nets were only willing to have him on for a year. This decision led to the player opting into his $37 million player option for the 2022-23 season. But with Kevin Durant asking to be traded away from the team, Irving is predicted to be on his way out by most analysts.

The trail of a possible move to the Lakers has seemingly grown cold. Some people are almost certain he will be retained within the Nets roster come training camp. Analyst Nick Friedell, however, strongly disagreed as he stated that the the culture at the end of the previous season was toxic.

His argument suggests that the toxicity of things in the franchise is tantamount to the Nets letting him go. Friedell remarked that he would be surprised if Irving is retained within the team before training camp.

"The culture was toxic at the end," Friedell said. "Everybody in the Nets organization understood that while it wasn't entirely Kyrie’s fault, a lot of it was. I will be very surprised if they brought him back in before training camp."

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Will the Brooklyn Nets retain Kyrie Irving despite losing Kevin Durant?

Kevin Durant #7 and Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets look on in the final seconds of their 109-103 loss against the Boston Celtics during Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center on April 23, 2022 in New York City.

Kyrie Irving moved to the Brooklyn Nets in 2019 after leaving the Boston Celtics. He convinced Kevin Durant, who exited the Golden State Warriors and pitched his tents to the Nets.

As such, the forward's core reason for joining the franchise was to play alongside Irving and dominate the league.

It's safe to say that the experiment failed or was probably inconclusive at best, peradventure they part ways.

Kyrie Irving could see the 2022-23 season through with the franchise if the Nets feel he is key to their rebuild with Durant out the door. None of the franchises apart from the Lakers are seemingly interested in trading him.