NEW YORK — On the morning after the largest city in the NBA was turned upside down by the mind-boggling trade of Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks, the fallout was being felt most acutely by Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics inside Madison Square Garden.
His future in Boston, once deemed a certainty, is not so certain anymore.
“Ask me July 1,” Irving responded when asked about his future plans — a dramatic shift from statements he made in October professing a long-term commitment to staying in Boston.
And Irving wasn’t finished.
Asked what it is like to have to speak with team president Danny Ainge on a constant basis about the Celtics and their options, Irving responded:
“This is like college recruitment all over again, so I don’t know. This is just weird, a new position for me to be in, answering all these questions, seeing all this stuff I’m trying to avoid and it’s just a distraction. It’s crazy how stories and storylines can seep into a locker room, and you guys are a part of the destruction of locker rooms. That’s just what it is.
“This is an entertainment industry, and I don’t live for this entertainment, I don’t live for talking every day about my life and my decisions, and I just hope everybody would respect that. I’m just a normal human being at the end of the day. I don’t want to answer all these questions about my future all the time. It’s not fair to me. I have a focus to really help these guys grow as individuals and really help this team be successful. When it starts getting out of hand, and people start getting attacked personally and ‘he said/she said,’ that’s just so 5th grade and elementary.
“This industry is just so effed up. It’s my decision at the end of the day. Who cares, who says what’s best for him, it really doesn’t matter. It’s unwarranted commentary. Of course it’s still going to continue throughout the season, and I’m aware of that. I’m not going to disrespect anybody, I’m a professional, but it’s going to come down to what’s best for me and me family.”
It was certainly a mouthful from Irving, who will become an unrestricted free agent this summer along with roughly 50 percent of the players in the NBA.
The Knicks have now cleared about $75 million in salary cap space for the summer, and there is a school of thought that they are prepared to bundle some of the assets they acquired from Dallas — especially two first-round draft picks — and offer them to the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis.
A source close to the Knicks said they engaged in trade discussions with New Orleans before making the deal with the Mavericks but could not come to an agreement on a deal. The likely stumbling block, the source surmised, was the Knicks’ unwillingness to part with their 2019 first-round draft pick, which could turn into Zion Williamson if New York wins the NBA draft lottery.
The trade deadline is still a week away, and yesterday’s head-spinning move is likely only the first of a series of moves that will shift the NBA landscape dramatically for the summer of 2019.
As for the battle to win the championship in June, most teams are not fooling themselves into thinking they can do it, the Eastern Conference exceptions being Milwaukee, Toronto, Philadelphia and Boston.
But what will the Celtics look like when March 1 arrives and playoff eligibility is determined?
Hard to say with any certainty that Irving will be a part of that equation — especially after his diatribe Friday morning. If Irving isn’t a member on the Celtics on March 1, where will he be? Or maybe he’ll be in Boston on March 1, but headed somewhere else shortly after? BetDSI has odds on Irving’s next home:
Kyrie Irving team on October 1, 2019:
Boston Celtics -200
New York Knicks +150
Los Angeles Lakers +700
Field (Any other team) +200
MAVS WIN TRADE, BUT KNICKS NOW SET FOR SUMMER OF 2019 FREE AGENCY
