We are already in an era where elite NBA players take things year by year. Kevin Durant could absolutely bolt from the Warriors for the Lakers or Knicks next summer. LeBron James predictably opted out of his contract in Cleveland and wound up in Los Angeles. The latest buzz on Kyrie Irving Celtics Knicks NBA Trade Rumors is here. Durant won’t be getting free agency questions every day like LeBron did this past season, but you can surely bet that the Boston media will be pestering Kyrie Irving about his status with the Celtics this coming season no matter how well the team is playing.
Irving has been consistently linked to the Knicks with free agency on the horizon next summer and the Knicks have been clearing out cap space to target one of the many big fish in the talented free agent class of 2019. Irving grew up in nearby New Jersey and has a strong connection to the New York market. There is also a growing feeling in the league that the last real “holy grail” in the league is resurrecting the Knicks franchise and bringing home the team’s first title since the early 1970s. Being the star to bring back the Knicks would make you immortal in New York.
Bringing a franchise like the Celtics or Lakers a title would simply make you another great player in a long line of great players. Irving will surely be weighing that next summer.
All that said, the three big reasons that Irving is expected to stay put with the Celtics are as follows: money, the real opportunity to build a dynasty, and comfort with the Celtics franchise infrastructure.
What most giddy Knicks fans do not yet understand is that it would be financially foolish for Kyrie to sign a contract extension with the Celtics before next summer. Kyrie has a player option for the 2019-20 season, so even if he got injured again this season he would be set for another season. By signing an extension with the Celtics now, he would also be leaving a whopping $87 million on the table.
Irving will be eligible to ink a five-year deal worth $188 next summer if he re-signs with the Celtics. The Knicks, or any other team, would be able to offer him a four-year deal worth $139 million.
Kyrie Irving Celtics Knicks NBA Trade Rumors with new details
Many credible outlets have also recently reported that the Celtics are not at all worried that Kyrie will walk next year.
“Boston is confident it can re-sign Irving despite chatter – credible chatter – that Irving and Jimmy Butler would like to play together, per league sources,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote. “They’ve earned such confidence.”
NBA writer Keith Smith also shot down rumors that Kyrie was upset by the amount of attention other players, namely Jayson Tatum, got down the stretch of the season. A team source told Smith, “Ignore that noise about Kyrie not liking it in Boston and about being jealous of the kids and the attention they get. This team is closer than any team I can remember.”
Irving is also said to have the highest level of respect for Celtics boss Danny Ainge as Ainge did not at all interfere with the point guard’s decision to shut it down last season when he had knee issues. Kyrie had been dubious as to whether or not the Cavaliers front office had his best intentions when it came to the lingering injury, which is part of the reason he requested a trade last year. Ainge no doubt also saw what had happened in San Antonio with another quirky superstar, Kawhi Leonard, and tried to make it clear that the decision was entirely in the player’s hands with Kyrie.
“The most important thing is finding that cohesion,” Kyrie Irving Celtics Knicks NBA Trade Rumors told ESPN last week as he described himself as extremely excited to lead the Celtics in 2018-19. “Finding that cohesion is going to be a process, which I am looking forward to doing with Danny [Ainge], Brad [Stevens], everybody.”
Even Knicks sources are starting to downplay the Kyrie Irving Celtics Knicks NBA Trade Rumors with the latest buzz.
“A lot of the stuff you hear comes from the media and from agents and that is going to be the case all year,” a league source with knowledge of the Knicks’ plans told Sporting News last week. “Kyrie Irving comes from the media. Jimmy Butler comes from the media and his agent. That’s not coming from Steve [Mills] and Scott [Perry]. They’re a lot more careful here.”
