Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge was already suspicious that a Kyrie Irving departure might be looming in the offseason, perhaps as early as March, as he alluded to during the introduction of two of his recent signings in Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter on Wednesday, according to Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports.
Irving had been hinting at his displeasure with the team amid constant mood swings and the suddenly mum nature of walking back his commitment to the team, one he made before the season as rumors already surrounded him.
The roller-coaster nature of the winning and losing streaks through the course of an 82-game campaign surely got to him, along with the repeated questions of his leadership after forcing a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers to arrive in Beantown.
Irving's noncommittal approach only grew as he became increasingly frustrated with the media, telling them to “ask me on July 1” to shoo reporters away. That frustration eventually became silence, and Irving distanced himself from players and the organization, which likely was the start of Ainge suspecting his eventual departure.
The All-Star point guard also reportedly “ghosted” Ainge and the Celtics after his season was over, giving them radio silence for weeks — something Ainge forcefully denied the days before the start of free agency.
Irving would ultimately sign with the Brooklyn Nets after opting out of the last year of his deal, confirming Ainge's suspicions and putting an end to his brief two-year venture in Celtics green.
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