The Boston Celtics did their best to keep All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, even after a horrendous 2018-19 season which saw them lose to the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the playoffs. The Cs believed that they could still win with him as the team's leader, but it seems that someone within the franchise already knew that Irving wasn't staying. General manager Danny Ainge said that Kyrie has told him on multiple occasions back in March that he wanted to ‘go home,' and the veteran executive already had a hunch that Irving was going to play for the Brooklyn Nets.
Back then, the consensus around the league was that Irving and Kevin Durant was a lock to join the New York Knicks.
Danny Ainge regarding Kyrie Irving on Toucher & Rich- "He did express to me on a couple of occasions between March the end of (the season) that he really wanted to go home. I got that impression at that point he wanted to play in Brooklyn more than New York." #Celtics
— Toucher and Rich (@Toucherandrich) July 18, 2019
Although Irving is originally from New Jersey, the franchise that once resided in that city moved to Brooklyn. So it made sense for him to sign a four-year max deal with the Nets, and the good thing about it is that he brought KD with him.
Now, the Nets have suddenly become one of the favorites to contend for multiple championships within the next five years. They aren't expected to be in the title picture next season as they continue to wait for Durant to fully recover from his Achilles injury. But once Brooklyn's two megastars start playing together, the Nets will definitely become a force to be reckoned with in the NBA.
The Celtics should be lauded for their efforts in the Irving situation, but there's really nothing they could've done. Kyrie was already gone from the moment they lost to the Bucks in the playoffs.
Follow Us
Subscribe