Kyrie Irving sends message after opting-in with Nets

Kyrie Irving sent out a tweet after reports indicated that he was opting-in and returning to the Brooklyn Nets.

The Brooklyn Nets-Kyrie Irving situation this offseason was intriguing. Reports indicated that both sides were not making progress in contract negotiations, and Irving provided a list of destinations in potential sign-and-trade deals. That could have created implications regarding Kevin Durant’s future with the team.

As it turns out, Irving is going nowhere, as The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Monday, June 27, that he was exercising his $36.5 million player option for the 2022-23 season, and that he will be returning to the Nets.

Following the report, Irving sent out a tweet of a GIF with a caption reading “I know who I am.”

Kyrie Irving tweets after opting in to deal with Nets

In the aforementioned report, Irving sent out the following statement, via Charania:

"“Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow. I’ve made my decision to opt in. See you in the fall. A11even.”"

A report from earlier in the day from ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski noted that the Los Angeles Lakers were the only team  that were willing to pursue a sign-and-trade deal with the Nets for Irving. However, Brooklyn was not interested in any of the packages offered by Los Angeles.

The star had until this Wednesday to make a decision on his player-option. Now, Irving is set to return to the Nets, in what will be the final year of his four-year contract with the team.

Irving is coming off of a 29-game campaign where he averaged 27.4 points, 5.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals while posting a field goal percentage of 46.9.

With two days to spare, Irving made the decision to utilize the player option on his contract.