NBA Rumors: Kyrie Irving’s Free Agency Decision Down To These Two Teams

NBA Rumors: Kyrie Irving’s Free Agency Decision Down To These Two Teams

NESN by Dakota Randall on Sun, Jun 2, 2019 at 11:55AM

Kyrie Irving’s free agency decision reportedly has been narrowed down to two teams, and the Boston Celtics aren’t one of them. (Remember when he promised he would re-sign? Lol) Irving is deciding between the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers, Bleacher Report NBA reporter Ric Bucher said during an appearance last week on FS1’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” Bucher said nothing of the New York Knicks, whom many have speculated are a front-runner for Irving.

“The latest that I’ve heard is that it’s between Brooklyn and the Lakers,” Bucher said. “And I’ve heard that the Lakers and Kobe Bryant — now Kobe told me, or indicated to me, that he was not involved. That he was, ‘Hey, that’s their deal. I’m not part of it.’ But I was told in the last 24 hours, Kobe has been busy recruiting Kyrie, in particular, to try to get him to the Lakers. ” … Now, everything that I’ve heard, I’d still expect that Kyrie is going to Brooklyn — that’s the odds-on favorite. … And if we’re going to continue our real estate (game), he just bought a place in South Orange (New Jersey).” Make of all that what you will. By the way, should Irving eventually decide to leave the Celtics, it might not be devastating news to Danny Ainge.
112288

Neither team would be a surprise to me, if Irving went there.

if/when he does leave, I for one would be happy if Danny would do the right thing and bring IT back using the MLE ( assuming he is fully healthy of course)

I think this team could do a lot worst:

here s a piece from a while back when IT came back to Boston:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26300307/isaiah-thomas-gets-moment-be-last


Isaiah Thomas gets his moment, but will it be his last?
play
Mar 18, 2019
Tim Bontemps
ESPN
Facebook
Twitter
Facebook Messenger
Pinterest
Email
print
BOSTON -- This was the moment Isaiah Thomas had always dreamed of.

For years, the diminutive guard bounced from team to team, constantly seeking two things: respect and a place to call home. Here, playing for the Boston Celtics, Thomas had found both.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, he has failed to recapture either of them since the Celtics traded him away in 2017. And, as Thomas slowly walked from the visitors' tunnel to the Denver Nuggets' bench at the 7:06 mark of the first quarter of Monday night's game at TD Garden while a tribute video celebrating his two-plus seasons with Boston played on the Jumbotron above him, that fact seemed to hit him all at once.

"I was emotional," Thomas would say later. "I almost cried."

When the video ended, Thomas saluted the crowd -- first by flashing a peace sign, then by tapping his left wrist twice, signaling it was, for one final time here, "IT Time" -- as the standing ovation for him, and his accomplishments in Boston, lasted for more than a minute.

"It was special," Thomas would say later.

"That was everything. I appreciate them for doing that.

"That means a lot."

It was a reminder of how special his run here was, as was his connection with these fans. It also was a reminder of just how far away from that player he is today.

Time catches up to everyone eventually on a basketball court. Some athletes -- quarterbacks, pitchers, golfers are all examples -- can at least temporarily overcome age by sheer skill. In those instances, the brain can make up for what the body lacks.

Basketball, however, is not one of those sports. Sure, some of the greats have managed to endure into their late 30s. But most of those players -- Tim Duncan and Karl Malone, for example -- have the one other thing that doesn't change with age: size. Whether someone is 20 or 40, they remain 7 feet tall.

Or, in the case of Isaiah Thomas, they remain 5-foot-9. (Maybe.)


Isaiah Thomas looks on at his tribute video at TD Garden on Monday night. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
That being said, even in the NBA, in which eras in the sport shift every three to five years -- and always come and go faster than anyone expects -- the reign of the "King of the Fourth" remains singularly stunning in how short it truly was.

For two seasons, Thomas shone as one of the NBA's brightest stars for one of its most storied franchises. It was the perfect marriage of person and opportunity on both sides. The Celtics had a team full of hard-working role players and needed a scorer to serve as its anchor on offense, a role Thomas played superbly. Along the way, he became the latest in a long line of underdog stories to enthrall the patrons of this city's sports teams.

That was true for the way he defied the odds in putting up ridiculous stat lines while almost always being the smallest player on the court. It also was true for the way he stood tall in the face of the most overwhelming adversity: both the tragic death of his sister, Chyna, in a car crash during the 2017 playoffs, and his playing through -- and eventually being sidelined by -- a hip injury.

"I went through a real life situation here when I lost my sister that this whole city and organization went through with me," Thomas said. "And I think that's why, other than ... the love is always there, but that's what took it to another level.

"I went through the worst situation you can possibly go through in life with these people, and they was right there with me. Everybody in the city, the organization, they was right there with me, they went through that with me. That's why Boston means so much to me."

Then, as quickly as he arrived as a star, and was embraced as one of this city's favorite sons, he was gone. Thomas was sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a package for Kyrie Irving that -- despite the protestations of Anthony Davis Sr. several weeks ago -- was always, and will remain, the only move the Celtics could have made.

The version of Thomas that took the court with 2:42 to go in the first quarter Monday night was a far cry from the one who captivated this crowd so many times in his short stint in Boston. The hip issues that caused him to miss the final three games of the 2017 Eastern Conference finals have, at least for now, transformed Thomas from an efficient scoring machine into a liability at both ends.

That was exemplified in his 6-minute, 50-second stint in Monday's first half. When he entered the game, the Nuggets led by four. By the time he exited with 7:52 remaining in the second, the Nuggets trailed by four. Thomas missed both of his shots -- a short runner in the lane, and an open 3-pointer on the right wing -- and committed a turnover, to go along with two assists.

With Thomas on the bench for those same minutes in the second half, Denver put the game away -- eventually winning 114-105 and, in the process, clinching the franchise's first playoff berth in six seasons.

Isaiah Thomas' past four seasons

Isaiah Thomas was an All-Star in his two full seasons in Boston, but his two seasons since being traded have been marred by injuries and poor production.

2015-17 2017-19
Games 158 42
PPG 25.5 13.4
FG Pct 44.6 37.1
3-Pt FG Pct 37.7 28.8
APG 6.1 4.0
Thomas' numbers in limited action this season aren't any prettier. He's averaging 7.7 points per game on 36.4 percent shooting from the floor, including 26.5 percent from 3-point range. Denver, meanwhile, has been outscored by 27 points in the 147 minutes Thomas has played this season, and is 12.3 points per 100 possessions worse when Thomas is on the court (minus-7.6) than when he's on the bench (plus-5.3).

All of those reasons are why, earlier this month, Nuggets coach Mike Malone went to Thomas and told him that, after playing nine games since finally returning from hip surgery last month, he would no longer be part of Denver's rotation.

"The reason for me taking him out of the rotation, and our team [struggling] ... our team didn't struggle because of Isaiah Thomas," Malone said before Monday's game. "That was an unfair kind of assessment going around. 'We're struggling because of Isaiah.'

"No, we were struggling because 'we' were struggling. It's never about any individual."

Sometimes, though, it is. Professional sports are big business. Very rarely, if ever, does a feel-good story have a happy ending. Thomas' time in Boston is proof positive of that fact. How could someone so universally beloved here be sent packing?

Because it was the right business decision. Irving simply is a much better player -- especially when compared to this version. And it isn't looking like the old version is coming back anytime soon -- if ever.

"I'm not sure," Malone said, when that very question was posed to him. "What I will say is this: If anybody can do it, it's him. His heart, his determination, his confidence.

"[But] will he be the player from two years ago, that led the league in fourth-quarter scoring, and averaged 29 per game and was an All-Star? I don't know."

Neither can anyone else. The evidence, though, suggests he won't.

It's all unfortunate for Thomas, who was on a well-below-market contract while he was starring with the Celtics -- only for his hip to give out before he could be paid commensurate with his performance in Boston.

Sports aren't fair. Injuries happen. Opportunities come and go. Thomas, who was the 60th and final pick in the 2011 draft out of Washington, has experienced that at every step of the way. He has managed to overcome it thanks to a combination of supreme confidence and a singular skill set.

The confidence still remains.

"I just want a legit opportunity," Thomas said. "Whatever the role may be, it's going to be. But I know I can play at a high level again. And if given the opportunity, I can be an All-Star, I can be All-NBA, I can be all that, because I physically feel great.

"But it's all about the opportunity. If I get an opportunity, I'm going to be ready for it. I'm going to take full advantage of it. And when this summer comes, I'm going to just figure out what's the best opportunity, what's the best situation for myself and my family, and then go from there."

EDITOR'S PICKS

Thomas on Boston return: 'This feels like home'
Nuggets roar into playoffs for first time since '13

Inside Isaiah Thomas' incredible fall -- and hope to rise again
Thomas conspicuously wore green-and-gold Nikes during Monday night's game. He was asked about them afterward.

"You know what's crazy? Those green-and-gold sneakers were for the Finals the last year I was here," Thomas said. "So I always kept those. I got a couple other pairs, too, but those were made for the NBA Finals.

"And then we lost to the Cavs, and things like that."

Those other "things" included Thomas being traded away, and his career being sent careening in a far different direction than he ever imagined. It's one that, on this night, left him in a reflective mood, as he had to grapple with just how far his star has fallen from its apex here.

"It was special here, but I didn't understand that until I wasn't here anymore," Thomas said. "I was so locked in in those moments that I didn't really know what was happening.

"So there were times after I got traded where I sat back and really thought about things that I did as an individual, the things that we had done as a team, and those were amazing moments that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

"Like, those moments were everything, and we did some legendary s---."

Then, Thomas paused.

"I did some legendary s---, too."

For a moment in time, Boston gave Thomas everything he ever wanted. Monday night reminded everyone, including Thomas, of that.

It also reminded everyone that those days are over.

If nothing else, Thomas never divided the Cs players or their fans.

Whether he can play anywhere near his former level is a giant question. He has been bouncing around from team to team, he is older and he has not been able to establish himself as being completely healthy.

If healthy enough to play at a high level, he will at least be a lower cost option worth considering.

wideclyde wrote:If nothing else, Thomas never divided the Cs players or their fans.

Whether he can play anywhere near his former level is a giant question.  He has been bouncing around from team to team, he is older and he has not been able to establish himself as being completely healthy.

If healthy enough to play at a high level, he will at least be a lower cost option worth considering.

at MLE he would not be expected to start over Brown or Smart, just be a scoring spark plug off the bench (IF he can still fill that role).

It is hard to believe all the rumors.

Sorry but I really do not see KI going to the Nets. D’Angelo Russell, 23, has finally become the type of PG that he was drafted to be. So the Nets let him walk or pair him with KI? I do not see that happening just like I do not see KI going out to LA join LJ.

Rumors are mostly just opinions.

Voice of reason, dboss. I'm with you. Danny just needs to do his job here by improving our position and not going backwards further.

db

The basis of that article on NESN was an interview on a podcast with Jeff Goodman. They held what he said with such importance because "he had an inside relationship" with the Celtics. Sure, he has been around the Celtics for a long time. However, half of what he has come up with never has any validity to it. It is his conjecture. I have never taken him seriously.

All of these stories about Kyrie are beginning to crate on me. It is like "fake" news!!!! Everyone wants to be the one who breaks the right story and be the king. Goodman said on that podcast that he would not be surprised if "Ainge wanted Kyrie to walk". Does that sound realistic? Unless management has laid down the gaunlet and said, NO we are not paying him that crazy money for him to flip out every month or two.

Dboss is right, that story about the Nets is something someone from NY planted to keep the Celtics on edge. Little do they realize that DA has icewater in his veins!!!

There’s always nonsense from Lakers/Knicks/Nets writers/fans/trolls every offseason and trade deadline. They’re always wrong.

Sure, there will be a lot of rumors these days, but I do think it means something that there is not a single rumor where Kyrie stays. Watching and listening to him over the season, my gut says he leaves. He is not psychologically built for a sports town like Boston. I don't think Danny loves him as a player either. His performance and attitude in the Bucks series was seriously awful, and 100% un-Celtics-like. Also, there have been too many reports about how the Celtics were good when they followed Brad's plan, but that they too often strayed from that plan (Terry said this, Baynes said, and some other anonymous Celtics employees said it). I gotta think that means Kyrie strayed, and the rest of the team just stood around. That is certainly what it looked like during many games. Kyrie and Brad's style are not a good fit. I wouldn't be surprised if a part of Danny would love to see him just walk, but the GM-part of him knows that would be a pure asset loss. Tough situation...

Just remember, he kept jacking up those shots. Would not pass the ball to open teammates, he was just determined to shoot his way out of his slump and buried the team doing so. How can management love a guy like that? I know he is talented, but I am telling  you he is has a personality issue. He is the one who needs to see a sports psyche.! You do not say the things he said last year and then walk back on to the floor and expect these guys to respect you. Personally, he is so talented I hate to see him go, but iMOP he is gone. He could have stopped these rumors months ago. I believe he is thriving off them. If he thinks he had a tough time in Boston, just wait until he goes to NY, the city that booed Porzingas. He is in for a rude awakening. And...on top of all that he is leaving a stable ownership and management. It is what it is, right Gyso???

RosalieTCeltics wrote:Just remember, he kept jacking up those shots. Would not pass the ball to open teammates, he was just determined to shoot his way out of his slump and buried the team doing so. How can management love a guy like that? I know he is talented, but I am telling  you he is has a personality issue. He is the one who needs to see a sports psyche.! You do not say the things he said last year and then walk back on to the floor and expect these guys to respect you. Personally, he is so talented I hate to see him go, but iMOP he is gone. He could have stopped these rumors months ago. I believe he is thriving off them. If he thinks he had a tough time in Boston, just wait until he goes to NY, the city that booed Porzingas. He is in for a rude awakening. And...on top of all that he is leaving a stable ownership and management. It is what it is, right Gyso???

Yup, I agree with you on almost everything except:

1) I don't believe he thrived off the rumors. I think the media attention really bothered and affected him. He is not built for a place like Boston. I do agree though that it will be worse in NY. It is ironic. Kyrie fancies himself an intellectual, but he is not smart enough to handle sports media?? It seems pretty obvious the types of things writers and fans want to here.

2) I don't think he is as talented as everyone (including Kyrie himself) thinks he is. Great handle? For sure. Does that great handle help him get tough buckets? Absolutely. Is getting a tough buckets a realistic strategy over the course of an NBA season? I don't think so. I don't see Kyrie getting people a lot of easy buckets - it is not his game. Unfortunately, devising systems to get easy buckets is Brad's strength. Kyrie and Brad are not a great fit.

Shamrock1000 wrote: Kyrie and Brad are not a great fit.

Simply stated, this may be a legitimate problem.

Look at his latest instagram message: “Larry Bird told me to always BE TRUE”. Are you kidding me, he is eating this attention up or he is laughing at everyone for caring where he goes. Face it, the guy may say one thing, but mean another, i thought he swore off social media?

They had a field day today on talk radio after Danny’s interview. Felget said that it sounded in DA’s voice like he was already resigned to losing Kyrie. He said that he has not talked to Kyrie in a while, that he has no idea what his thinking is.

that is all those idiots had to hear. Like they really cared what was happening to the Celtics. Both of those fools on the radio do not like the Celtics.

Kyrie has been all over social media these last couple of weeks. I just really what kind of a guy would treat a team the way he has when he was given a real shot of running his own team. I know he owes no one anything, but this says something about character. It is like he is
rubbing salt into the wound

As long as the Celtics aren’t one of the two teams he is considering I’m very happy.

Patience. July 1st will be here soon and our long Celtics nightmare will be over.

I think it is important to keep some perspective through the Kyrie madness festival.

In my opinion, at least, the team looks good either way.

If Irving stays, the team has one of the top scoring machines around. With another year together, he and the rest of the team might just develop some chemistry.

If Irving goes, this is still a team that has shown it can compete without him. The roster has several promising young players, a raft of draft picks, and will have just enough cash to find a decent player or two to strengthen the bench. Trading chips are there too, if that's the chosen route. If it turns out to be true that Irving is difficult for this group to play with, it could be the rare occasion where losing a top player ends up being OK.

It's not a green glasses, sunshine, and happy pills thing. The team is in shape to continue getting stronger, as long as management keeps their focus.

For the most part I agree with you. I guess it comes down to a simple question for me. Do they really want him back? After I listened several times to the interview with Wyc. when he said that this was hard team to love. Listen, the year before when they went on that terrific run while Kyrie was out, he was overjoyed with this club, the young guys, Al, Morris, and others. So who was he referring to. In m mind, all the crazy talk after games, the statements pointing. fingers, must have ticked him off and made him wonder if the would not be better without him. You never know.