In the days that have followed the end of the 2018 NBA Finals, there has been much chatter surrounding All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving's long-term future with the Boston Celtics. Irving is set to enter the fourth year of his five-year, $94.3 million deal that has a player option for the 2019-20 season that could see him hit the open market next summer.
This has pushed forward the conversation about the possibility that the Celtics can work out a long-term extension before he hits the open market. However, it doesn't look like Irving will be willing to go that route at this point in time as he believes that would leave a tremendous amount of money on the table, according to Jay King of The Athletic.
Kyrie Irving said a contract extension wouldn’t make sense. He would need to leave a lot of money on the table to consider one.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) June 12, 2018
These comments from Irving now put his long-term future with the Celtics up in the air given that he will hit the free-agent market next offseason with the chance to sign elsewhere. This doesn't necessarily mean that he wants to move onto another team such as the New York Knicks, but it does open the door to that possibility coming to fruition. That said, this simply could be positioning himself to get a lucrative max contract next summer that he wouldn't be able to ink if he signed an extension this offseason.
If he's able to stay healthy, Irving should be in line to receive that type of deal from the Celtics or another organization due to his ability on the court and the fact that he is in the prime of his career. What this may also signal is that there could much more to come in the next few weeks with the Celtics possibly considering all their options with their future with and without Irving in the fold. It is a new wrinkle that has the potential to shake things up in Boston once again.
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