Following the rather dismal season for the Boston Celtics, starting point guard, Kyrie Irving is reportedly airing its desire to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. A handful of reports have confirmed that Irving is currently in talks with the Celtics front office, although the context of these talks is still murky.
According to a The Athletic's Shams Charania, Irving has voiced out his intention, both publicly and privately, that he will leave the Celtics organization following free agency. Charania added that Irving would most likely sign with the Nets should he opt out of the Celtics.
As for the Nets, they are confident that they can land a deal with Irving. Another fact that fueled the speculation about Irving's possible move to Brooklyn was his decision to sign with the Roc Nation Sports agency which was founded by rapper Jay-Z. It is important to note here that Jay-Z was once a part-owner of the Nets organization. Based on the Nets' last report, they have enough cap space to offer two max contracts this summer.
The NBA Free Agency starts on June 30, and Irving's contract with the Celtics is expected to expire. Multiple reports have stated that Irving is no longer discussing the possibility of a new contract with the Celtics. Instead, he is pursuing to sign a four-year deal with a different team come free agency.
Complicating things further for the Celtics is the report claiming that Al Horford also wants out of the organization come free agency. This is a big blow for Boston since the 33-year-old forward is billed as the perfect mentor for the team's young core players. Although Horford's destination is still unclear, there are speculations claiming that he might sign with the Los Angeles Lakers and stand as the third leg for the LeBron James-Anthony Davis duo.
Last season, the Celtics were widely held as one of the frontrunners to win the championship, especially after the fact that Gordon Hayward is returning to the team following a season-ending injury. Nevertheless, the Celtics under expectations when they close the season with a 49-33 record and clinching the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. The team then exited the second round of playoffs following a thrashing from Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The only silver lining for the Celtics now, should Irving and Horford opt out in free agency, is that they can clear up to $28 million in cap space. While not exactly a huge amount, it sure does create a lot of possibilities for interesting acquisitions.
