On March 27, Beijing time, the Nets played against the Heat, and before the game, Irving revealed that he planned to renew his contract with the Nets in the summer. He said he didn't want to leave Durant and wanted to create their own legend with Durant in Brooklyn. His remarks quickly aroused heated discussion in the US media and fans. Salary expert Bobby Max said he would qualify to sign a five-year, $246 million top salary contract with the Nets if he jumped out of the $36.5 million player option.
"I like it here (Brooklyn)," Owen said as he talked about the renewal, "and when summer comes, I know we're going to have some conversations, but I can't leave my brother number 7." Obviously, the No. 7 here refers to Durant, who wears the No. 7 jersey at the Nets.
Prior to Irving, Durant had completed a contract extension with the Nets, and his four-year, $194 million contract would take effect next season and expire in 2025-26. If the Nets were to sign a five-year, $246 million contract for Irving, it would mean that their contracts with three stars (Irving + Simmons + Durant) would have been as high as $560 million.
Of course, the Nets can also choose to shorten the age limit or lower the offer, as well as add some incentive terms. Last year, before Irving decided not to get vaccinated, the two sides had talks about an early extension of the contract, but were eventually interrupted.
In the interview, Owen stressed that he did not only value the year, but also considered the long term. However, many fans have turned over Irving's remarks about playing for the Cavaliers and Celtics, and he has shown loyalty to the team and promised not to leave again. The result? He forced the house twice, changed the team, and is now a Nets player.
One fan wrote in the comments section of salary expert Bobby Max: "It's not worth the price. He will miss 50% of the games due to injury, and the other 15% of the games will be truce for various strange reasons. From a Nets perspective, that would be a bad investment. ”
Max replied to the fan: "Is there any alternative?" Let him go and then Durant asks for a deal? It doesn't matter if it's a bad investment or not, sometimes, both parties have no choice. Max's meaning is very clear, the Nets can only keep Irving for the sake of the big picture, and Irving is not only staying in the Nets, is there any other team that dares to risk him?
The US media switchpoints posted a picture and asked: "Will Owen keep his promise this time?" When Irving spoke in 2013 about whether he would leave the Cavaliers, he said: "No, I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving!" Nine years later, he said something similar to the Nets.