Kyrie Irving plans to keep ‘managing’ Nets with Kevin Durant

If the LeBron James-era Miami Heat marked the peak of what player empowerment can accomplish in the NBA, look no further than the 2022 postseason for its nadir.

Absent: LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers of his vision who historically flamed out of the playoffs before they began. Absent as of Monday: A Brooklyn Nets squad built by, of and for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, swept out of the first round in alarming fashion by the Boston Celtics.

The two teams that entered 2021-22 as betting favorites to meet in the NBA Finals exit with a grand total of zero playoff wins between them. In a slugfest of historic NBA disappointments, it’s difficult to discern who failed worse. And why choose? Both train wrecks are so grand in scale.

Irving plans on ‘managing this franchise’ alongside KD

But if you ask Irving, he should continue to be trusted with the keys to the Nets franchise. In fact, he assumes he will be. Not an hour removed from Monday’s seismic Game 4 loss, Irving was ready to run it back with the same folks who built this disaster tasked again with constructing whatever comes next. Most notably, himself. Along with Durant, general manager Sean Marks and owner Joe Tsai.

In a postgame statement divorced from the reality of the daunting failure he played such an outsized role in crafting, Irving announced his intention to exercise his player option to remain with the Nets next season and beyond. He also plans to keep calling shots.

Asked for clarification about his future with Durant and the Nets, Irving laid out his plans, which include “managing this franchise.”