Kyrie Irving is expected to rejoin Nets, but absence costs nearly $1 million

Kyrie Irving appears to be ending his sabbatical soon.

The Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving tandem didn’t play together for long before the Brooklyn Nets’ ultra-talented point guard took a leave of absence from the team, a leave that culminated in a video of him partying maskless in a nightclub. After Brooklyn rocked the NBA world by trading for James Harden, all signs point to Irving making a swift comeback.

The NBA fined Irving $50,000 and assigned him a five-day quarantine for breaking the league’s coronavirus protocols. In addition, he will forfeit two game checks as a result of the time he missed. Despite all of that, he is expected to play for Brooklyn in Harden’s debut against the Orlando Magic on Saturday.

Kyrie Irving will form a frightening offensive trio between himself, Durant, and Harden

On the court, Irving has been everything the Nets could’ve hoped for, and then some, averaging 27.1 points and 6.1 assists per game. While those numbers might decrease now that Harden has entered the picture, Brooklyn’s inhuman assemblage of superstar power on the offensive end should carry them to plenty of victories.

Irving will play arguably the most important role in this new offense, as he will likely have to sacrifice scoring and touches to Harden. His willingness to do so will determine how far the Nets can go this season and beyond considering how all three are signed through 2023.

Kyrie is a philanthropic person, and he has been the subject of some unwarranted personal attacks over the years. However, his personal leave didn’t engender a ton of goodwill, especially after the video leaked. He knows that he will be the X-factor on a Nets team that could go all the way this season, but time will tell how much production and status he secedes to Harden.