NBA Rumors: Boston Celtics Believe Kyrie Irving Is Still Happy With Team
Kyrie Irving has made headlines recently due to his upcoming free agency next offseason. It appears that the Boston Celtics are not going to be able to sign him to an extension this summer, leading to the belief that Irving could leave town. The New York Knicks have been rumored to be a potential landing spot for Irving if he were to leave Boston.
According to a new report shared by RealGM, Boston believes that Irving is still happy with the franchise and wants to be with the team long-term.
Boston fans shouldn’t panic just yet. Irving has been put in a situation with a lot of stars around him while still being the face of the franchise. Bailing on the Celtics for the Knicks next offseason would be a step back for Irving when it comes to title contention.
Irving put together a big 2017-18 regular season for the Celtics, but missed the entire postseason due to a nagging knee injury.
Throughout the season, Irving averaged 24.4 points per game to go along with 5.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds. He averaged 49.1 percent from the field overall and knocked down 40.8 percent of his three-point attempts. Boston made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but were unable to overcome LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
At just 26-years-old, Irving is in the prime of his career and will have many teams competing for his services next offseason. Staying with Boston would likely be the wisest decision for Irving if winning a title is a priority.
Kyrie Irving says he will not sign an extension with the Celtics, putting Knicks in play https://t.co/EKVAcfP56i – @SBondyNYDN pic.twitter.com/DMOX9CMIXr
— NY Daily News Sports (@NYDNSports) June 12, 2018
Danny Ainge has put together a “super team” around Irving, with Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford. Even Terry Rozier stepped up last season and proved that he is a more than capable starting point guard. Rumors have suggested that the Celtics could consider trading Irving this offseason and moving forward with Rozier at the point.
In other recent news surrounding Irving, the former Cavaliers’ star point guard talked about the difficulty of playing alongside James.
“I went from being in Cleveland to having half the fans show up to now ‘Bron shows up and now every night is packed, every road game is like a home game for us. You think of the media attention that comes with all of that and the elevated pressure of, ‘Now it’s championship or you fail.’ And then you gotta figure out how you fit within the system. Basketball is a systemic game. How do you build that strategy and how do you fit in with that? And it was tough.”
Only time will tell what Irving decides to do and whether he will remain as the franchise player for the Celtics.
Expect to hear plenty of rumors about Irving this offseason. Trade rumors are going to surround the point guard, but for now, it appears that the Celtics are committed to keeping their point guard in town.
