Kyrie Irving has not been able to play any basketball this season as he is not vaccinated against COVID-19. The NBA superstar is refusing the jab right now and since he plays for a team located in New York, it is simply illegal for him to actually participate. While the team has tried to convince him to get the vaccine, Kyrie has continued to fight against this, and as it stands, Irving has zero plans to actually return if it means getting a needle in the arm.
Recently, Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic spoke to Pat McAfee about the Irving situation and what it will mean moving forward. As Shams confirmed, Irving is still not budging on the jab, and there is really only one way in which he will actually play this year.
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In the clip below, Shams reveals that the one way we can see Irving on the court soon is if he gets traded by the team. There have been talks surrounding a potential Irving trade in the past, although, given his history, his trade value isn't exactly very high right now. Regardless, he remains one of the best point guards in the league and there are certainly teams out there who will want him around. Whether or not a trade happens, remains to be seen.
Despite this situation, the Nets are still first in the Eastern Conference, so things aren't exactly all bad for Brooklyn right now.