NBA Rumors: Kyrie Irving To Consider Knicks If He Becomes Free Agent In 2019

NBA Rumors: Kyrie Irving To Consider Knicks If He Becomes Free Agent In 2019 by

NESN Darren Hartwell on Thu, Jul 5, 2018 at 9:10AM

Irving reportedly wants to team up with USA Basketball pal Jimmy Butler. But that reunion may not happen in Boston. Several NBA executives expect the Boston Celtics point guard to consider signing with the New York Knicks next summer if he opts out of the final year of his contract and becomes a free agent, ESPN’s Ian Begley reported Wednesday.

Irving admitted last October the Knicks were among his desired trade destinations before he landed in Boston. The 26-year-old hails from nearby West Orange, N.J., so New York would be close to home. And while the Knicks have been horrible for several seasons, they’re one of the few marquee NBA franchises that can attract top-level talent based on their aura and reputation. The return of 22-year-old star Kristaps Porzingis and a new head coach in David Fizdale also present an enticing draw. “Porzingis is a magnet,” Knicks president Steve Mills said Tuesday, via ESPN.com. “He’s the reason why everyone interviewing for coaching jobs this year wanted this job.”

New York obviously would become more enticing for Irving if Butler, who also can opt out of his Minnesota Timberwolves contract next summer, promises to join him there. While Irving, who is under contract for two more seasons but has an opt-out option in 2019-20, regularly speaks highly of the Celtics and is by no means disgruntled in Boston, he has no current plans to sign a long-term extension with the C’s and has remained non-committal about his plans for 2019 and beyond. Making room for Irving — or any big-name free agent — won’t be easy for the Knicks, who need to shed significant salary cap space between now and next summer. But if one of the best point guards in the game is on the market, expect them to launch a full pursuit.

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My opinion is: 1. Is this a rumor, a guess, or real???
2. If it is real, how will Danny approach it???3. Is he gone by February??? 4. I am sick of this whole topic, if he wants to go, trade his ass out of here while we can get something, if he doesn't, he should at least have the decency to calm the fears of the fans he wants to root for him to succeed every night.

In all the years I have been a Celtic fan, I have never seen such negative talk about a player going into a season on such a solid team as I have read this year.

UGH

RosalieTCeltics wrote:My opinion is: 1.  Is this a rumor, a guess, or real???
2.  If it is real, how will Danny approach it???3.  Is he gone by February??? 4.  I am sick of this whole topic, if he wants to go, trade his ass out of here while we can get something, if he doesn't, he should at least have the decency to calm the fears of the fans he wants to root for him to succeed every night.

In all the years I have been a Celtic fan, I have never seen such negative talk about a player going into a season on such a solid team as I have read this year.

UGH

Agree. I do think that a lot of this is just a bunch of talk but anything is possible. Kyrie doesn’t necessarily have/need to respond to us as fans every time something like this arises but he certainly owes it to the team to substantiate whether some of this crap is true or not.
As for Butler, we need to stay as far away from this dude as possible.
He already has proven he’s not a leader when he was in Chicago and Rondo had to get his ass straight. Now, hes pulling the same baby nuts crap in Minnesota.
We’re good, Kyrie or no Kyrie. I’d love for him to stay a Celtic but if he indeed has his doubts, I totally agree with you Rosalie. Trade his ass post haste!!

Where there is smoke, there's...........................

Just be done with this guy already.  Look I know there are rumors that are baseless ............ and there are rumors that become true.  I tend to side in favor of them being true.  He rocked the boat in Cleveland and wanted out.............ok I'll buy into the fact that he did not want to be in the shadow of James................but let us look at recent actions by him that will cause people to pause and take notice, and perhaps change their opinion on what really happened in Cleveland. I am now of the opinion that IT WAS NOT JAMES' FAULT!

So let's follow a timeline of events by Irving and see if it makes you warm and fuzzy about him.

First, he really has not been warm and fuzzy by openly saying he would like to stay in Boston. It makes no difference either way if he proclaims his desire to stay in Boston or not......the money will be there!

Second, his NO - SHOW for game 7 ..........come on............you schedule sinus surgery around playoff time with your team 1 game from the FINALS????  REALLY?????  At best they could postpone it until the next day or the day after!

Three, the rumors about Butler and him wanting to play together......who is running the asylum .............the inmates or management???????  ya we would all like to team up in the park and play with your friends in a pick-up game, but LETS GET REAL..........THIS IS THE NBA ........and teams take years in structuring assets (draft picks) and players to create a combo that may get them to the promised land and an NBA title, while players move on with no loyalty to teams except for the umbilical cord called money. So is a Team going to disrupt an organizational game plan for one player.................I think NOT!

This could be all put to rest if Irving came out and said THIS IS ALL FAKE NEWS....but he has not!

IRVING SHOULD REMEMBER.......NO MAN IS AN ISLAND UNTO HIMSELF,............... THE SUN IS THE CENTER OF OUR UNIVERSE, ....................... AND THE SUN DOES NOT CIRCLE THE EARTH.................UNLESS OF COURSE IRVING'S WORLD ACCORDING TO HIM .......IS FLAT!

Which is where I am as a fan towards him going forward!  Like flat seltzer on a warm summer's day!

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If he stays or goes I'm content with our core.

KJ

I can fully understand that Irving will want to test the financial waters next summer as a free agent.  He will do this no matter what team he may finish the year playing for.  It is certainly his right to not re-sign with any team before next summer, and financially he should not sign before the summer of 2019.

We Celtics fans would like to know his intentions, but he really does not have to comment either way at any time.  We have no right to know either.  If he tells Ainge that he will not re-sign then Danny can move him out and get something back for him.

Right now let the guy play out his contract if necessary and hope that he plays a big part in bringing #18 to Boston next June.  We all know that he has to play his best next year to get that one huge contract for 2020 and beyond so he will not slack off because there will be too much at stake for his future.

They recycle these things over and over again. As the article indicates he made a statement last Oct, 2017.

Since last Oct what has he said? He loves the coach, his teammates and the fans and more recently that he can't wait to get back with Hayward. Said he was very impressed with the way the team played.

I agree, dboss. Much ado about nothing. Right now, it's the doldrums and writers are recycling garbage. However, if there is a chance that Kyrie will be gone, I believe Danny will make sure we keep Smart in the 2018-19 backcourt. Hawk

I guess you are right there. I would not sign an extension if I were him either. Too much money involved. I guess it is the tone of the articles that bothers me. I like stability, and I guess i will live with
what we have for now and hope that he is influenced
by the stability of the ownership, management and coach as well as the players.

Too much air time with nothing to do I guess!!!! Let the summer fly by, I am sitting here waiting for training camp

If he stays, great. If he leaves, we have Rozier as an insurance policy and possibly Smart.

Much ado about nothing.

In Cleveland he simply asked Bron what was he going to do, when Bron couldn’t commit, he simply possibly wanted out, but then the shit got leaked and then he demanded to go since....

Here he can mentor our youngsters, one of them, Tatum he’s very close to thru the Duke connection, and get coached by Brad, and we have such a young strong team....we also have to see how he responds to surgery. This is overhyped by media IMHO.

Ktronic1 wrote:

RosalieTCeltics wrote:My opinion is: 1.  Is this a rumor, a guess, or real???
2.  If it is real, how will Danny approach it???3.  Is he gone by February??? 4.  I am sick of this whole topic, if he wants to go, trade his ass out of here while we can get something, if he doesn't, he should at least have the decency to calm the fears of the fans he wants to root for him to succeed every night.

In all the years I have been a Celtic fan, I have never seen such negative talk about a player going into a season on such a solid team as I have read this year.

UGH

Agree. I do think that a lot of this is just a bunch of talk but anything is possible. Kyrie doesn’t necessarily have/need to respond to us as fans every time something like this arises but he certainly owes it to the team to substantiate whether some of this crap is true or not.
As for Butler, we need to stay as far away from this dude as possible.
He already has proven he’s not a leader when he was in Chicago and Rondo had to get his ass straight. Now, hes pulling the same baby nuts crap in Minnesota.
We’re good, Kyrie or no Kyrie. I’d love for him to stay a Celtic but if he indeed has his doubts, I totally agree with you Rosalie. Trade his ass post haste!!

You say Kyrie owes it to the team to substantiate or negate these rumors. How do you know he has not been up front with the team? Do you really think Danny would tell us, regardless of Kyrie's intentions??? That would be the height of unprofessionalism and would undermine his own position. Don't take this stuff so seriously and personally. I love the Celtics, but I can assure you that I never lose any sleep over their potential roster issues.

Shamrock1000 wrote:

Ktronic1 wrote:

RosalieTCeltics wrote:My opinion is: 1.  Is this a rumor, a guess, or real???
2.  If it is real, how will Danny approach it???3.  Is he gone by February??? 4.  I am sick of this whole topic, if he wants to go, trade his ass out of here while we can get something, if he doesn't, he should at least have the decency to calm the fears of the fans he wants to root for him to succeed every night.

In all the years I have been a Celtic fan, I have never seen such negative talk about a player going into a season on such a solid team as I have read this year.

UGH

Agree. I do think that a lot of this is just a bunch of talk but anything is possible. Kyrie doesn’t necessarily have/need to respond to us as fans every time something like this arises but he certainly owes it to the team to substantiate whether some of this crap is true or not.
As for Butler, we need to stay as far away from this dude as possible.
He already has proven he’s not a leader when he was in Chicago and Rondo had to get his ass straight. Now, hes pulling the same baby nuts crap in Minnesota.
We’re good, Kyrie or no Kyrie. I’d love for him to stay a Celtic but if he indeed has his doubts, I totally agree with you Rosalie. Trade his ass post haste!!

You say Kyrie owes it to the team to substantiate or negate these rumors. How do you know he has not been up front with the team? Do you really think Danny would tell us, regardless of Kyrie's intentions??? That would be the height of unprofessionalism and would undermine his own position. Don't take this stuff so seriously and personally. I love the Celtics, but I can assure you that I never lose any sleep over their potential roster issues.

Shamrock1000

" I never lose any sleep over their potential roster issues." [/quote]
Good for you - the rumor mill is high degree speculation and in many cases just wishful thinking - most being verified as undisclosed sources.

swish

For a team that plays under some of the brightest lights in any sport the NY Knicks want to become relevant again.  That is not an easy task especially when your best players is injury prone (played 72, 66 and 48 games.  

If you are a big time free agent are you ready to join a team that cannot even make it into the playofss.  The Knicks went 29-53 last season.  The team in the east with the lowest seeding was Washington with 43 wins.  So this season they probably do not make the cut again.  

When KI wanted out of Cleveland he choose Boston because Boston had Al Horford and then signed Hayward.  Plus Boston had a young core of talent and that was even before we knew what Tatum could do.  On top of that Brad Stevens is the best coach in the NBA who improved the teams wins in each of the previous 4 years. So I do not see free agents lining up together to play in NY.  If NYK were somehow able to have a strong season with their current core things may be different to some degree.

Even if that is the case, there is no good reason why Kyrie would want to leave Boston after next year.  Jimmy Butler (59 games) injury prone and a complainer is not going to be enough for KI to miss out on being a member of one of the best teams in basketball.  And there remains the $$$ to resign with Boston.

As it stands now, something bad would have to happen for Kyrie in Boston and the Knicks would have to shock the world.  Neither is a narrative I would bet on.

We just have to stop believing every damn article we see. Or at the very least these articles are reported and taken out on context.

Players and teams sign contracts. Expecting either to do anything beyond those contracts is romantic folly. It's a profession and a business. Some players and some teams will sometimes consider emotional factors but neither is obligated to. And rumors a year or two before the fact are just journalistic canon fodder.

All anyone asks Irving to do is state...........if the contract is a good and the team remains committed to winning..........I AM IN GREEN!

This leaves an opening for him to bolt ............but no response is Horse Shxt!

Besides, he is too stupid to realize that if he made the statement..........his jersey sales will significantly increase which he gets a cut of!

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Just what is it that motivates Irving? The 3 years before James arrived in cleveland, Irvings Cavs were 78-152. Then he teamed with James to help lead the Cavs to 3 straight finals - and yet ended up as an unhappy camper with a demand to be traded. Will history repeat itself when free agency beckons next year?

swish

Hard tellin', not knowin'

Danny could always explore an Irving for Towns centered deal, if he thinks this is all true.

Irving and Morris

for
KAT and Teague works for salary purposes

for instance.

Irving has said that he will opt out. That is what any player would do that knows his value is higher than opting in. The Celtics understand that as well. There is no secret here.

I just don't understand why anyone would expect Irving to commit to resigning now. Who does that?

I don't understand why us Celtics fans get so caught up in all the rumors and speculations.

I think we should be looking forward to the upcoming season when both Irving and Hayward return. All I can see is sunshine. There are no dark clouds on the horizon.

dboss wrote:Irving has said that he will opt out.  That is what any player would do that knows his value is higher than opting in.  The Celtics understand that as well.  There is no secret here.

I just don't understand why anyone would expect Irving to commit to resigning now.  Who does that?  

I don't understand why us Celtics fans get so caught up in all the rumors and speculations.

I think we should be looking forward to the upcoming season when both Irving and Hayward return.    All I can see is sunshine.  There are no dark clouds on the horizon.

+1

Neither Smart nor Kyrie are pulling a Ray Allen, leaving for direct competition at less money. We've only had Kyrie for one year anyway. He doesn't need to be loyal. It's up to Danny to figure out future years at PG, whether Kyrie, Smart, Rozier or some other player.

Shamrock1000 wrote:

Ktronic1 wrote:

RosalieTCeltics wrote:My opinion is: 1.  Is this a rumor, a guess, or real???
2.  If it is real, how will Danny approach it???3.  Is he gone by February??? 4.  I am sick of this whole topic, if he wants to go, trade his ass out of here while we can get something, if he doesn't, he should at least have the decency to calm the fears of the fans he wants to root for him to succeed every night.

In all the years I have been a Celtic fan, I have never seen such negative talk about a player going into a season on such a solid team as I have read this year.

UGH

Agree. I do think that a lot of this is just a bunch of talk but anything is possible. Kyrie doesn’t necessarily have/need to respond to us as fans every time something like this arises but he certainly owes it to the team to substantiate whether some of this crap is true or not.
As for Butler, we need to stay as far away from this dude as possible.
He already has proven he’s not a leader when he was in Chicago and Rondo had to get his ass straight. Now, hes pulling the same baby nuts crap in Minnesota.
We’re good, Kyrie or no Kyrie. I’d love for him to stay a Celtic but if he indeed has his doubts, I totally agree with you Rosalie. Trade his ass post haste!!

You say Kyrie owes it to the team to substantiate or negate these rumors. How do you know he has not been up front with the team? Do you really think Danny would tell us, regardless of Kyrie's intentions??? That would be the height of unprofessionalism and would undermine his own position. Don't take this stuff so seriously and personally. I love the Celtics, but I can assure you that I never lose any sleep over their potential roster issues.

Your right. I don’t know. None of us do. That’s what’s creating all the angst. I do know that some of these reporters are very credible and players do talk. But again, you’re right we don’t know and Danny knows what to do either way. (I’ll keep telling myself that) :>)