Kyrie Irving’s Mavericks redemption tour a stark reminder of missed Nets chance

BOSTON — With Kyrie Irving’s redemption tour becoming a focus of the NBA Finals, the Nets look like they flubbed an opportunity — both because of their former player’s success and their own failings since trading him.

Though Irving has only alluded to feeling “disrespected” by the Nets, his teammate explained it further in an interview with The Post.

“It was time for his contract extension, the two sides didn’t meet up, business got involved, and that’s what happened. That’s how it goes,” Markieff Morris, who was traded with Irving from Brooklyn to Dallas last year, said. “I think Kyrie was averaging about 27 [points] at the time. I think we won 18 out of 20 and all of a sudden the business got involved. That’s how it goes sometimes. A guy of Kyrie’s stature, I wouldn’t be standing for that either. Get me up out of there.”

The Nets, as The Post’s Brian Lewis reported, offered Irving a short-term and incentive-laden extension because of his unreliability.

It followed a slew of controversies and missed games from Irving, most notably involving his refusal to inject the COVID-19 vaccine and promotion of an anti-Semitic film on Twitter.

Still, Irving was playing exceptionally heading into the 2023 trade deadline, carrying the Nets through a stretch that included 18 wins over 20 games.