BOSTON — With Kyrie Irving’s redemption tour becoming a focus of the NBA Finals, the Nets look like they flubbed an opportunity — both because of their former player’s success and their own failings since trading him.
Though Irving has only alluded to feeling “disrespected” by the Nets, his teammate explained it further in an interview with The Post.
“It was time for his contract extension, the two sides didn’t meet up, business got involved, and that’s what happened. That’s how it goes,” Markieff Morris, who was traded with Irving from Brooklyn to Dallas last year, said. “I think Kyrie was averaging about 27 [points] at the time. I think we won 18 out of 20 and all of a sudden the business got involved. That’s how it goes sometimes. A guy of Kyrie’s stature, I wouldn’t be standing for that either. Get me up out of there.”
The Nets, as The Post’s Brian Lewis reported, offered Irving a short-term and incentive-laden extension because of his unreliability.
It followed a slew of controversies and missed games from Irving, most notably involving his refusal to inject the COVID-19 vaccine and promotion of an anti-Semitic film on Twitter.
Still, Irving was playing exceptionally heading into the 2023 trade deadline, carrying the Nets through a stretch that included 18 wins over 20 games.
He had hoped that would translate to a pay day.
But Joe Tsai and Sean Marks held their negotiating stance and Irving requested a trade.
The deal was Irving and Morris for Dorian-Finney Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, a 2029 first-round pick and two second-round picks.
Irving then re-signed with the Mavericks for three years and $121 million with a player option.
He and Luka Doncic developed this season into the NBA’s most potent offensive backcourt.
“[The Nets] didn’t want to pay him. So what is he playing for? If you’re not trying to pay him in a contract year with this good team, and everybody else is paid, [Kevin Durant] is paid [with a max extension],” Morris said. “Kyrie did everything that you needed to do. … So just go to another team. And now we’re in the finals.”
In retrospect, the trade was terrible for the Nets, who fell to 11th in the East last season and just hired their fourth coach in about four years.
Dinwiddie is already gone and Finney-Smith is a role player who averaged 8.5 points last season on 42 percent shooting.
But the Nets also didn’t get consistency from Irving.
Between leaves of absences, injuries, suspensions and vaccine mandates, the point guard missed roughly half his games after signing as a free agent in 2019.
The vaccine mandate kept Irving out of the majority of the 2021-22 season while cutting deeply into his salary.
Morris sympathized with Irving’s vaccine stance and indicated most felt the same.
“Everybody got their own beliefs. I’m mad I got that shot,” Morris said. “I didn’t want to get that s— either. Nobody — who wanted to get that? Nobody wanted to get that.”
The highlight of Irving’s tenure was the 2021 run to the conference semifinals, where the Nets had homecourt advantage and a 2-0 lead against the Bucks.
Then Irving sprained his ankle on Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 3, and the Nets dropped a heartbreaking series.
The Bucks won the title.
“If Giannis ain’t put his foot under [Irving], they would’ve had a championship,” said Morris, who was playing for the Lakers at the time. “Milwaukee would still be without a championship.
“I know so. They were going to get swept. They know that. You can ask anybody on their team,” added Morris, pointing out that former Bucks point guard Jeff Teague said the same on his podcast.
Now Irving is healthy and in The Finals, but this time in Dallas — and trying to rebound from a disappointing Game 1 defeat in Boston.
“He’s in a place where he feels like he can flourish,” Morris said. “Everybody is on the same page. There’s no hidden agendas. He’s in his 13th year. And I can speak to that. I’m in my 13th year, too, and you want to be somewhere people are going to love you and it’s more than just a business. End your career somewhere comfortable.”