“When Drake dropped the new album out of nowhere in the middle of the night on Friday, that surprised me” - NBA analyst says he’s not surprised by Kyrie Irving reaching an impasse with the Nets

Stephen A. Smith was not surprised that Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets reached an impasse pertaining to the guard's contract situation.

The analyst said:

“When Drake dropped the new album out of nowhere in the middle of the night on Friday, that surprised me. … But an NBA team not wanting to give Kyrie Irving a long-term guaranteed deal, hell, that doesn’t surprise me at all.”

Kyrie Irving's relationship troubles with the Nets comes as no shock

Recent reports have indicated that Irving and the Brooklyn Nets are at an impasse. Apparently, many teams are looming around the All-Star, hoping to pick him up upon release.

Stephen A. Smith said that even if teams bite on Irving, they are not going to give him a long-term contract. Despite only being on three squads since joining the league in 2011, Kyrie Irving has gained notoriety for his lack of availability.

Irving spent 2011 to 2017 playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played for the Boston Celtics from 2017-2019 and has been with Brooklyn since 2019. The narrative developed after Irving left the Celtics for the Nets and sparked the ever-passionate hate that flows to him from Boston.

Irving then chose to remain unvaccinated due to personal reasons, despite not being able to play basketball as a result.

However, his decision showed the rest of the league that Kyrie has priorities above basketball, and organizations do not like that. With his stint in Boston and Kyrie’s flaky playing time since joining Brooklyn, Smith believes Kyrie is undeserving of a long-term guarantee.

It may seem like a good point, as most teams wouldn’t want to commit to a player that will not devote themselves to their organization. However, having faith in a player like Irving may show him what he needs in order to be confident in giving himself fully to an organization.

Whether Brooklyn, or any team, is going to take that leap is still to be decided. However, taking a chance on Kyrie may not seem like too big of a gamble for some teams.