When Kyrie Irving bottomed out against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, it seemed like his tenure with the Boston Celtics was over. Irving had endured a season in which he struggled to establish himself as the leader of a young and hungry Celtics squad where everyone felt that they had something to prove.
Multiple suitors lined up for a chance to sign Irving, including the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks. But ultimately, Irving elected to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, a franchise that he grew up watching as a youngster in West Orange, NJ.
A former high school teammate said that Irving idolized Jason Kidd:
“He loved the Nets growing up — his favorite player was Jason Kidd — and said it was a dream of his to play for them one day.”
Irving himself stated that the allure of returning home was too much to pass up:
“In my heart, I knew I always wanted to play at home,” Irving said after signing. “Home is where my heart is, and it’s always been there, simply because of such a great love that I have for my family and the way I grew up.”
The Nets landed both Irving and Kevin Durant in free agency after making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference last season. But with Durant likely to miss the entire 2019-20 season as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles, the onus will be on Irving to lead Brooklyn back to the playoffs.
Still, with newfound purpose, it is possible that the best is yet to come for Kyrie.
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