Is Kyrie Irving More Important To Nets Following James Harden Trade?

Only Kyrie Irving knows his current mindset, but plenty of others have opinions on how he should navigate his team’s immediate future.

Former NBA player Brendan Haywood argued early Thursday morning on NBA TV the Brooklyn Nets’ blockbuster trade for James Harden increases Irving’s importance to their cause. Brooklyn formed the NBA’s latest “Big Three” by acquiring Harden, who joins Kevin Durant and Irving as Nets stars. However, Haywood reckons Irving will have to sacrifice more than Harden and Durant in order for the Nets to fulfil their potential.

” … So I don’t know about Kyrie right now, he’s a little bit of a wild card.” Haywood said. “But I think that mentally, he’s going to have to be ready to take a step back because he’s the third-best player of this trio. The third guy, in any big three, is the most-important because he’s going to have to sacrifice the most, like (Cleveland Cavaliers forward) Kevin Love and (former Miami Heat center) Chris Bosh did.”

Irving currently is away from the Nets due to yet-to-be-explained reasons. If he returns to Brooklyn, he’ll have to share the ball and spotlight more than ever and perhaps accept the billing Haywood, and undoubtedly many others, will give him as the third-best act in Brooklyn’s traveling roadshow.