The problem with untangling the mess the Nets find themselves in is the central figure speaks in riddles.

Kyrie Irving might be simply jostling with the organization and attempting to coax a max contract out of the Nets. Or he might be serious about leaving a team that, for a few months at least, banished him for refusing to be vaccinated.

What is Irving thinking?

Is he talking about the chess match that is the contract negotiations? Is he live-tweeting an actual chess match? Is he unhappy with a Supreme Court decision? We’ll get Nicolas Cage and the “National Treasure” crew on the case, but this feels as if we’re missing a decoder.