Kyrie speculation

JCizzle

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Oh boy...


Kyrie Irving said at the end of the day he’s going to do what’s best for his career. “Ask me July 1,” he said about whether his mindset has changed.

"
Woj says on his podcast there is a lot of “wishful thinking” that Kyrie is in play. Adds that Irving has been clear "in recent weeks, in recent days” that he remains committed to the Celtics."
 

RedOctober3829

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Kyrie Irving said there’s been some “unwarranted commentary about his future.” He called the industry “F’d up.”


Kyrie Irving has shifted from his commitment to re-signing with the Celtics: “I don’t owe anybody shit.”
 

lexrageorge

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This is the problem: there is almost nothing Kyrie can say to truly stem the speculation. I guess he could come out and say "I am going to stay in Boston for the rest of my career no matter what", and the media would still be all over it.

Of course, this is Kyrie, so he is almost guaranteed to say something that will stir things up even more.
 

amfox1

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Here's the whole post, in one place

Jay King @ByJayKing 13m13 minutes ago
Kyrie Irving said at the end of the day he’s going to do what’s best for his career. “Ask me July 1,” he said about whether his mindset has changed.

Jay King @ByJayKing 13m13 minutes ago
Kyrie Irving acknowledged he sees the Knicks positioning themselves for this summer. Said he respects the organization.

Jay King @ByJayKing 11m11 minutes ago
Kyrie Irving said he still has confidence in the Celtics and what they promise for the future. “Obviously Boston’s still at the head of that race.”

Jay King‏ @ByJayKing 9m9 minutes ago
Kyrie Irving said there’s been some “unwarranted commentary about his future.” He called the industry “F’d up.”

Jay King‏ @ByJayKing 5m5 minutes ago
Kyrie said his hip is fine, by the way.
 

DJnVa

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Kyrie Irving said there’s been some “unwarranted commentary about his future.” He called the industry “F’d up.”


Kyrie Irving has shifted from his commitment to re-signing with the Celtics: “I don’t owe anybody shit.”

Okay New York Daily News guy. Without context you didn’t provide that could just as easily be Kyrie saying he doesn’t owe anyone weekly updates.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Well, Kyrie said we were ahead in the race, not the only team racing.

That gives fuel to the gloom and doomers.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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This is the problem: there is almost nothing Kyrie can say to truly stem the speculation. I guess he could come out and say "I am going to stay in Boston for the rest of my career no matter what", and the media would still be all over it.

Of course, this is Kyrie, so he is almost guaranteed to say something that will stir things up even more.
I don't get this line of thinking. All he has to do is reiterate his intent to remain with Boston. I am not sure how the media can parse something like that. It doesn't guarantee anything and it costs him nothing. While I agree that there will still be stories about him leaving, it would squelch a lot of the noise around him.

Instead, he is being vague and almost courting all the attention and speculation. Its not clear what he is going for in doing so but he is, at least partially, contributing to the "F'd up" dynamic.
 

the moops

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In case we haven't noticed, Kyrie likes to be in the news. Him saying "I am signing with Boston" is a pretty boring story for everyone but Celtic fans. He knows this
 

bowiac

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Why would anyone trade much of value for Kyrie at this point given these comments?
 

BigSoxFan

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If you think that there is even a 10% chance Kyrie doesn’t sign, you have to trade him now.
Why? The return on a Kyrie trade would be minimal. Stay the course and work on the Kyrie/AD scenario. It was never going to be a walk in the park. What I think you absolutely don't do now is trade Rozier. He's your Kyrie fallback if the worst case scenario becomes reality.
 

bosockboy

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Kyrie is a lot like 2004 era Schilling. Never saw a camera he didn’t like and likes to stir shit up.

Even as benign as some think those comments may be, I imagine Danny is going to have a sit down with him, and ask him again.
 

the moops

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If you think that there is even a 10% chance Kyrie doesn’t sign, you have to trade him now.
That sure is a low bar. Kyrie signing in Boston is the only chance we have at getting AD. Trading Kyrie means getting nothing of value back (because as bowiac said - who is giving you anything if his future is uncertain) and punting the AD dream.
 

Koji’s Slider

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Trade the Celtics pick and Kyrie to NOLA and really work on making AD like it here. I take Kyrie’s comments as he is leaving. Trade our asshole for their asshole. Otherwise, you are going to be left holding the bag.
 

Three10toLeft

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Be better. We can’t sign Durant.
My bad. I assumed with Kyrie off the books we'd have enough space to make a run at Durant, or any other max FA. I unfortunately forgot about the Hayward contract.

In regards to Kyrie, why does he continue to push the limits on what is acceptable behavior/comments with a team that is clearly a bit volatile and underperforming? He constantly talks about leadership but consistently shows that he has no idea how to lead. I honestly wouldn't be sad if he was traded, even for pennies on the dollar. We didn't give up much to get him, tried to make it work with him, and it didn't work out as expected. Big deal.

I think him leaving would be great for at least one thing; team chemistry.
 

amarshal2

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The only comment that really bothers me is the Knicks one. What in the world is there to respect about that organization? Nothing. Maybe he’s just being polite but if he’s going to be irrational this offseason who knows what happens.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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I agree that Kyrie's trade value is likely low. However if Ainge doesn't have any private assurance about "Kyriemain" , I am willing to bet that he is kicking the tires on a trade. Something is better than nothing, even if the Celtics might be sacrificing a chance to go deeper in the playoffs. They are a better team with Irving but a lot would have to go right for them to win this year. I don't think a trade is likely but as we know, Ainge is bloodless.
 

RedOctober3829

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Like it or not, the Celtics are riding with Kyrie until July 1st. They aren't trading him whatsoever because they can't go out and sign any max guys in free agency. The only way to build on this team is to re-sign Kyrie and trade for another star like Davis. Danny isn't going to be deterred with any of these comments from Kyrie nor is he going to be deterred by anything from AD's camp.
 

azsoxpatsfan

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The only comment that really bothers me is the Knicks one. What in the world is there to respect about that organization? Nothing. Maybe he’s just being polite but if he’s going to be irrational this offseason who knows what happens.
That strikes me as just being polite. Maybe I'm wishcasting but that seems like a pretty innocuous comment
 

luckiestman

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My operating assumption has always been that Janos is Danny. He has weighed in:

 

Big John

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The Celtics play well at home without Kyrie, and abysmally on the road without him, particularly they were 1-7 on the road in the playoffs without Kyrie. Most non-terrible teams play better at home, so it isn't a big surprise that they play well at home without Kyrie.

Anybody telling you that the Celtics are a better team without Kyrie is delusional.
I didn't say they are a better team. I said the other players play better.

If Ainge wants to turn the Celtics into the 3 superstar 12 veteran ring whore type of team, then he'd better make sure Kyrie is staying-- and that AD is staying if Ainge trades away Tatum in the AD deal.
 

the moops

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It would be such an Ainge move to trade him though. Someone mentioned upthread NYK. That would be savage. Kyrie for Kanter, 2019 1st, and one of those DAL picks. Gets BOS out of the luxury tax and gives them even more draft assets.
 

bigq

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This. And we are all along for the ride. A lot of noise - drives many to distraction. My guess is Kyrie is staying. My impression is that he likes Brad and the team. They have a good foundation and a seemingly bright future. And he foregoes a lot of $ if he leaves.
 

azsoxpatsfan

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I feel like the talk about Kyrie being a bad leader and betraying the Celtics is way overblown and somewhat baseless (I realize that people tweet stuff all the time that's overblown and baseless). He's still on the Celtics. He hasn't requested a trade or ever said that he wants to sign elsewhere. Athletes don't have to confirm their plans for the sake of calming down fans. It's ok for them to be unsure, and Kyrie being unsure (or knowing what he wants but just not wanting to answer constant questions about it) doesn't mean we should trade him.

On a related note, I have no idea how much Kyrie cares about his reputation (he claims not at all) but I worry that the anger and annoyance from the Boston media and many Celtics fans is going to have an adverse affect on his desire to stay with the team
 

John Marzano Olympic Hero

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It's crazy to me that we still have five more months of the current NBA season and we're already speculating about NEXT season.
 

joe dokes

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I didn't say they are a better team. I said the other players play better.

If Ainge wants to turn the Celtics into the 3 superstar 12 veteran ring whore type of team, then he'd better make sure Kyrie is staying-- and that AD is staying if Ainge trades away Tatum in the AD deal.
So if they aren't a better team without Kyrie what difference does it make if other players "play better" without him.
Ainge "better make sure Kyrie is staying"? In many ways, it's not up to Ainge.
 

azsoxpatsfan

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Plant a rumor, let the Boston Media run with it and let them drive Kyrie to LA or NYK.
This is my exact fear. That none of this is true but the vitriol from fans and commentators is going to make him want to leave.
 

ifmanis5

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This also blows up the plan of trading for AD in June and then signing Kyrie in July. AD has said he doesn't want to come to Boston without Kyrie. So that would require Kyrie to give Boston a commitment. What a mess.
 

lexrageorge

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Why are people saying "it didn't work out, so trade him"? That's an absurd take.

Kyrie is obviously a bit hot around the collar for being asked the same questions he's been asked since he's been here, questions he answered back in October. He's not going to come out and say "I'll devote the rest of my career to the Celtics no matter what"; it just doesn't work that way.

What's new in what he's said recently? The "I don't owe anyone..." comment was obviously taken out of context, and once the entire quote was printed was obviously directed more towards the media. He didn't throw his team under the bus; in fact, he reiterated that Boston is on his list, and is actually high on his list. But he's also going to be a free agent, and things can happen between now and July 1st that could cause him to change his mind, which is his right. He's going to put his interests first, which is the same for Every Single NBA Free Agent. As it should be.

If someone suggests trading him because "it didn't work out", please highlight what didn't work out. If it's the fact that the team is not favored to win the championship this year, then we as fans will likely be frequently disappointed in both the near and distant future.
 

bowiac

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He has to go. Move him now. It didn't work, just admit it and get the best return you can.
Have you actually watched the interview? This feels like a dramatic overreaction.

I'd be fine trading him, but there's only a handful of teams that make sense. Something to the Lakers for Lonzo and a pick may make sense, but I'm the high man on Lonzo. But it's just hard to get much value from anyone for him right now, so barring a wacky trade to the Lakers, it seems better to calm down, and hope for the best.

If he does leave, I'd probably be disinclined to trade for AD even without giving up Tatum. It would make sense to keep the picks and move the timetable back instead, since they're probably still short even with AD.
 

lexrageorge

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This also blows up the plan of trading for AD in June and then signing Kyrie in July. AD has said he doesn't want to come to Boston without Kyrie. So that would require Kyrie to give Boston a commitment. What a mess.
There's nothing to stop Kyrie and his agent from giving Ainge a private commitment once the Celtics' season ends. Such a dialog would be far more useful than anything he says to the media.
 

Big John

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So if they aren't a better team without Kyrie what difference does it make if other players "play better" without him.
Ainge "better make sure Kyrie is staying"? In many ways, it's not up to Ainge.
As I've said before, it's up to Ainge to make the right read. That's why he gets the big bucks.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Plant a rumor, let the Boston Media run with it and let them drive Kyrie to LA or NYK.
If that is all it takes, then he probably isn't a good long term fit in Boston anyway.

One other thought and its completely speculative like almost everything else in this thread - perhaps Kyrie's public non-committal is signaling that he thinks Davis is not really an option for the Cs for whatever reason (e.g. he thinks Davis to the Lakers is inevitable). If he really thought Boston had a good shot, you would think he would be more definitive in his recent comments about staying.
 

sibpin

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Just watched the full clip on SportsCenter. Kyrie's clear first frustration is with being asked about his FA situation anytime something happens on Twitter. He's trying to convey that first and foremost, so his most incendiary comments are about people continuing to bring it up.

That said, unambiguous that he made this situation worse and that he left the door open to going elsewhere.
 

ifmanis5

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If that is all it takes, then he probably isn't a good long term fit in Boston anyway.

One other thought and its completely speculative like almost everything else in this thread - perhaps Kyrie's public non-committal is signaling that he thinks Davis is not really an option for the Cs for whatever reason (e.g. he thinks Davis to the Lakers is inevitable). If he really thought Boston had a good shot, you would think he would be more definitive in his recent comments about staying.
Not a bad take. It's also possible that he just doesn't want to play with AD. It was not that long ago, October, when he proclaimed "I like it here...I believe in the franchise." Four months later it's a let's see what happens type of answer. Maybe he's frustrated with being in 4th place and the frustration of the season overall he changed his thinking about Boston. Anyway, it's pretty clear the dynamics are different with his mindset, especially after yesterday.