Kyrie Irving initiated brief conversations with Boston Celtics officials in recent days in which he indicated he was leaning toward re-signing with the team next summer, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. Irving also informed the Celtics he wanted to make his announcement public, which he did at Thursday’s fan event at the TD Garden.

Irving can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019 if he declines his 2019-20 player-option with Boston, something he is going to do since he can make more money that way. Irving will make $20.1 million this season and his player-option in 2019-20 is worth $21.3 million. The former No. 1 overall pick will be able to earn much more than $21.3 million per season by opting out of his current contract.

The Celtics always had a good feeling Irving wanted to stay in Boston long-term, but they were never 100 percent sure. Irving told Celtics officials exactly how he was feeling, and the All-Star point guard is excited about his future with the franchise.

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This has to be a huge relief for the Celtics. Irving’s free agency next summer was going to be a frequent talking point throughout this season. Now that it appears to be settled, both Irving and Boston won't have to address it during the 2018-19 regular season and can just focus on winning basketball games.

Kyrie Irving’s first year with the Celtics was cut short after the superstar guard underwent season-ending knee surgery in April. Before going down, Irving was averaging 24.4 points and 5.1 assists in 60 games while shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from beyond the arc. He played in two preseason games this season, but missed the last one and will sit out the finale in Cleveland due to sore ribs.