Mark Jackson says he would trade Kyrie Irving: ‘I have to make the best decision for my organization’

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Former NBA player and coach Mark Jackson recently offered his take on the Kyrie Irving situation.

Irving, of course, remains unvaccinated against COVID-19 and may be unavailable for the Brooklyn Nets in home games this season.

“And if he decides, and it’s his decision, and I’m the organization, and it’s his decision to not get the shot, which puts me in jeopardy of not having him for 41 games and not having him in home playoff games and not having him when it matters most, I have to make the best decision for my organization to put us in position,” Jackson said. “And that may very well mean open up the phone lines and see what I can get for him. As great as a player as he is, he’s useless to me 41 nights and home games come playoff time unless the rules change.”

It remains to be seen how the Irving situation will pan out in Brooklyn. The organization will certainly be in a pickle if Irving is indeed unavailable for a large portion of the team’s schedule.

Although the Nets’ Big 3 looks exceptionally good on paper, the trio’s time together has been very rocky thus far. Health issues ravaged the Big 3’s 2020-21 season, and it looks like the Irving situation might throw a wrench into the trio’s 2021-22 season.

Brooklyn expects to contend for the NBA title in the upcoming campaign, but there are clearly a lot of unknowns for the team at this time.

While the majority of NBA players are vaccinated, a handful are not. The vaccine remains a very hot topic around the league as the 2021-22 season approaches.