NBA Rumors: Kyrie Irving ‘Soured’ On Danny Ainge Early In 2019-20 Season

The relationship between Kyrie Irving and Danny Ainge wasn’t the smoothest, especially during the ex-Celtic’s final weeks in Boston.

According to ESPN’s Jackie MacMullen, Irving “soured” on the C’s president of basketball operations fairly early in the 2019-20 season.

“I don’t know why. But I was hearing by December he’s frustrated with Danny,” MacMullan said on the latest episode of “The Michael Holley Podcast.” “I don’t know what it is, I still don’t know the answer. Kyrie has never told me.”

But she does have a guess.

“It started there, and then he starts second-guessing the coach — again, passive-aggressive,” she said. “I don’t think he disliked Brad Stevens at all, I just think he lost faith in him. And I think he lost faith in everybody there.”

It’s no secret Irving wasn’t meshing well with the Celtics during the latter half of his time in Boston, so it should come as no surprise that things reportedly weren’t going well behind the scenes. Hopefully for the Nets, that attitude won’t follow him to Brooklyn.