The Boston Celtics are unlikely to see Kyrie Irving suit up in that legendary green jersey again. While he has yet to give the team the official word that he will not be returning next season, the Celtics may not even want him back at this point if he has a change of heart and wants to come back, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

The Celtics endured one of their most troublesome seasons in recent history, one mired with a roller coaster of mood swings, passive-aggressive messages and a whole lot of underwhelming performances. A lot of that has been attributed to Irving's poor idea of leadership after his teammates managed to get within a few points of the NBA Finals in 2018.

Boston changed its previous share-the-wealth style of play to center everything around Irving, making him the primary scorer and playmaker. But the Celtics fell behind early with a shaky performance after another, never really gaining consistency or making any sort of convincing run.

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President Danny Ainge is also expecting other cogs from last season to find a place elsewhere, like Al Horford, who opted out of the $30.1 million of the last year of his contract to find long-term security with other potential suitors. Marcus Morris could also join him soon.

Yet not all is lost for the Celtics, who have found the next-best replacement as the frontrunner for Charlotte Hornets star Kemba Walker, who could soon don the green that Irving refused to commit to throughout the season.