Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge remains confident about the team's chances of re-signing Kyrie Irving next summer, despite rumors that the All-Star guard is having second thoughts about it.
Q: "There have been reports Kyrie Irving is having second thoughts about re-signing with Boston. Have you talked to him lately?"
Ainge: "I talk to him all the time. I think he likes it in Boston. I can't talk about specifics. That's taboo. But I'm optimistic."
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) January 31, 2019
There are reports that Irving has been unhappy with how the Celtics are playing this season. Despite being one of the top five teams in the East, Boston is having a rollercoaster season so far, raising questions as to whether or not they have the right pieces to contend for a title.
Irving publicly criticized his younger teammates a few weeks ago, saying they do not know how to play championship level basketball. This was then followed by reports that he called former teammate LeBron James to apologize.
Since then, the two stars seem to have reconciled and are having random interactions on social media, leading to speculations that Irving is now willing to reunite with LeBron, who is currently playing for the Celtics' long-time rival, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Despite all this, Ainge remains positive about the situation; and why wouldn't he? Even if Irving decides to walk away from Boston, the Celtics have a lot of young players that can help the team long-term. Guys like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier, and Marcus Smart have proven their worth when they led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, without Irving.
Of course, the Celtics front office will do whatever it takes to keep Irving, who has also publicly said that he's going to re-sign with the team if they want him to.
Whatever happens, we are sure to get the conclusion to this soap opera by July.
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