The big buzz coming out of NBA All-Star Weekend this past weekend centered around the video of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant having an animated conversation. Obviously Knicks fans jumped to the conclusion that the two were talking about teaming up in New York. Celtics fans then had the thought that Durant might actually entertain going to Boston as the Celtics were close to signing him in free agency several years back.
But there is a third man in this mix that could alter teams’ thinking this offseason. It has been made clear that Jimmy Butler is not the happiest camper in Philadelphia. And before Irving and Durant were seen as the duo that would jump to the Knicks it was Irving and Butler that were thought to be free agency BFFs in 2019.
Butler gushed over Irving last summer and said he wanted to “play with his favorite player.” The swingman also liked a comment on Instagram last fall that called for him and Irving to team up at Madison Square Garden.
Here is what The Ringer’s John Gonzalez had to say about Irving and Butler’s situations two weeks ago.
“People in and around the organization have expressed concern to me that Butler could bolt this offseason. They’re right to worry. In the past week alone, Anthony Davis said he wants out of New Orleans, Kristaps Porzingis was shipped from New York to Dallas, and Kyrie Irving – who previously stated “I plan on re-signing” with Boston when he becomes a free agent this summer and also cut what is now a hilarious commercial hinting he wants his Celtics number retired one day – reversed course. When questioned about his commitment to staying in Boston, Irving told reporters to ‘ask me July 1’ and said he’s going to do what’s best for his career. It’s gotten to the point that even the most loyal Celtics fans are openly suggesting that Boston should probably trade Kyrie. It’s a hard point to argue considering Irving’s unambiguous declaration about his pending free agency: ‘I don’t owe anybody [expletive].”
“I would imagine Butler also does not think he owes anybody [expletive]. That does not feel like a stretch. He clearly did not think he owed the Timberwolves [expletive] and before that he made it plain that he did not owe the Bulls [expletive]. It seems unlikely that, when he makes his decision this offseason, he will consider how much [expletive] he owes the Sixers. To date, the only [expletive] Butler has owed or given is to himself. If he walks and the Sixers get nothing for him, that would be a disastrous outcome for the organization. The Sixers could try to spin Butler’s departure by pointing to the approximately $50 million in cap space they would have – enough to court top-tier free agents, but that would be an awfully optimistic way to view what would be a glass half-empty scenario.”
With the constant typhoon waves of NBA rumors it’s easy to forget that the Irving – Butler duo was “a thing.” Now it’s Irving – Durant.
One interesting call-back is this from Mark Schanowski and Vincent Goodwill of the Bulls Talk Podcast from last summer. Could Goodwill have been talking about Irving, Durant AND Butler heading to the Knicks here?
Schanowski: “You look at Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler talking about getting together somewhere. That could be with the Knicks or Nets.”
Goodwill: “There’s a third guy that I can’t mention but yeah. I can’t tell you who but I can tell you it’s a very accomplished NBA player. Very accomplished.”
