For the Boston Celtics, a lot more than an Eastern Conference finals berth could be on the line as they face the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
Kyrie Irving can opt out of his contract and become a free agent this offseason, and many wonder whether his decision to stay or leave Boston depends on how the Celtics fare this postseason.
Antoine Walker, who spent parts of eight seasons with the Celtics in the late 1990s and early 2000s, has been critical of Irving’s leadership at various points throughout the 2018-19 campaign, and he explained Wednesday on FS1’s “First Things First” why he expects the all-star point guard to leave Boston regardless of whether the C’s beat the Bucks.
"I believe Kyrie Irving is out of Boston regardless of what happens in this playoff series… He's taking the playoffs as a situation to have fun, to go out and play to see how far they can go."@WalkerAntoine8 on Kyrie Irving's future pic.twitter.com/2J9x1nxnNT
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) May 1, 2019
Irving is a polarizing player, but Walker really seems to have an issue with the 27-year-old, for whatever reason. The former NBA forward claimed earlier this year that Irving wasn’t a “true Celtic” and expressed doubt over whether the ex-Cleveland Cavaliers star wanted to remain in Boston long-term.
The Celtics and Bucks are tied at one game apiece in their best-of-seven showdown. They’ve traded haymakers thus far, with Boston and Milwaukee each winning a game in blowout fashion.
