Mavericks Kyrie Irving defends trade request he made from the Nets after Charles Barkley’s criticism

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has hit out at Hall of Famer Charles Barkley for criticizing ‘spoiled’ NBA superstars over trade lawsuits. Irving was recently traded to Dallas before the NBA trade deadline after asking out of Brooklyn, prompting the Nets to trade another superstar, Kevin Durant, to the Phoenix Suns.

While speaking to reporters on the eve of Sunday’s NBA All-Star game, Irving said: “What is a bad situation and why doesn’t anyone have the ability to request trades?” Irving asked.

‘When did it become terrible to make big business decisions for yourself, your happiness and your peace of mind?’ Not all employers you are going to get along with.

“So if you have the opportunity to go somewhere else and do it legally, I don’t think there will be a problem.”

Kyrie Irving responded to criticism that he and other NBA star players requested a trade

Charles Barkley recently called today’s NBA stars soft and predicted a lockout due to trades

Barkley recently criticized star players like Irving and Durant, who requested to leave Brooklyn over the summer, just a year after signing a four-year, $198 million contract extension the previous summer.

Durant originally had his request denied during the offseason, but in the wake of the Irving trade, he was sent packing to the Phoenix Suns.

“You can’t take my money and say you want to divorce me in six months or a year because you can only get the most out of this team,” Barkley told reporters during NBA All-Star Weekend.

“You can’t take all my money and then say, ‘Hey, I want a divorce.’ So, I’m pretty sure that’s the next thing to come out of the CBA. I have no doubt in my mind that these guys are going to be excluded.’

The current NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement will expire after the 2023-2024 season and both sides will return to the bargaining table in the near future.

Kevin Durant also requested to be traded from the Nets long before he was traded to Phoenix.

Durant also commented on the criticism while speaking to reporters during his All-Star press conference on Saturday, going so far as to say that roster upheaval over such a trade request benefits the NBA.

“I don’t think it’s bad for the league,” Durant said. “It’s bringing more eyes to the league, more people are more excited.”

‘The tweets I receive; the news hits we get of me being traded, Kyrie being traded; it just brings more attention to the league and that’s really what makes money, when you get more attention. So, I think it’s great for the league, to be honest.’

‘Teams have been trading players and making acquisitions for a long time. Now, when a player can dictate where he wants to go and go in free agency and demand a trade, it’s just part of the game now.”

‘So I don’t think it’s a bad thing. He’s bringing more and more excitement to the game.’

Irving will become a free agent at the end of the season and will probably sign another big deal.

Although not directly named, this isn’t the first time Irving has received criticism from Barkley or others.

The 30-year-old guard has perhaps been criticized excessively after missing most of last season due to the fact that he did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine and was ineligible to play in home games due to the much-criticized policy. of vaccinations that New York City had in place at the time. Not wanting “part-time” players, the Nets also kept Irving out of games for much of the season, only to relent midway through the 2021-22 campaign.

New York’s COVID policy required athletes and entertainers residing in the city to be vaccinated to play or perform, while it did not apply to visiting players or entertainers.

Irving also received criticism and an eight-game suspension for failing to immediately apologize after posting a link to a film deemed anti-Semitic.

Irving’s contract is set to expire at the end of this season and he could set himself up very well for a new contract, either in Dallas or elsewhere via free agency.