Is Kyrie Irving’s departure inevitable?
The Celtics have been very inconsistent this season, and no one in Boston, including Irving, seems particularly happy about the situation. Each C’s loss only adds fuel to the speculation Irving could opt out of his contract and sign elsewhere in free agency this offseason.
Nick Wright is among those who believe Irving is as good as gone. He explained Wednesday on FS1’s “First Things First” the “only hope” the Celtics have of re-signing Irving is a deep playoff run that ends with an Eastern Conference finals appearance or a trip to the NBA Finals.
"The only hope they have to keep Kyrie is a minimum of an Eastern Conference Finals run and probably more. If the playoffs go the way this season's gone which is they'll be lucky to get out of the 1st round & be a heavy underdog in the 2nd round, then he's gone." — @getnickwright pic.twitter.com/PHy7amspmD
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) February 27, 2019
The Celtics advanced to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals last season without Irving and Gordon Hayward, both of whom suffered season-ending injuries. They entered this season as the favorites to reach the NBA Finals in the East, but it’s been a roller-coaster campaign for the C’s, who suffered their third straight loss Wednesday night.
Irving said before the season he planned to re-sign with Boston, but the 26-year-old since has backtracked a bit, opening the door for rumors he could land with the New York Knicks or Los Angeles Lakers when the dust settles.
That certainly would throw a wrench into Danny Ainge’s master plan, which at this point seems to involve pairing Irving with Anthony Davis, whom the New Orleans Pelicans are expected to trade.
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