FA/Trade Rumors & Discussion - Durant, Kyrie, AD, etc

[Juco24]

Celtics fan here. I have been reading a lot of rumours and a lot of that is based on false information. That's not specifically this forum, but I feel the need to counter some of these rumours.

First of all the idea that Irving has his mind on leaving the Celtics. That is untrue. He literally said during pre-season presentation: ''If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here''. Then after all these rumours about LA and New York he came out and responded again, because he was annoyed that his name was thrown in all that stuff (what he called: ''This is dumb ****'').

And then after questions about his future by journalists he said: ''I still have confidence in Boston and what they can offer for the future.'' Then a journalist asked him if anything had changed, since October, Irving frustratingly replied ''Ask me about it July 1st''. Postgame against the Knicks, Irving added: ''I have a focus on winning a championship this year and even me saying something like that isn't concrete enough for anybody''.

The reason why Irving hasn't signed an extension yet is simple: money. By waiting until July 1st, his new contract will be based on the increased salary cap and he can sign a 5-year contract for $188 million, instead of a 4-year extension for $101 million. And the Celtics will give him that extension. They won't let him walk and commit to Rozier to save money. Rozier is a good player, but Irving is clearly better.

In the unlikely case that Irving does decide to leave (anything can happen in the NBA, locker room incidents, fall outs with coaches, injuries etc.), you can be sure that he isn't going to the Lakers. The reason why he wanted out of Cleveland was LeBron James and now he would jump on the opportunity to come back? Be real, that's ridiculous.

Are the Knicks in play? Well at the moment I don't think so. Why did he have the Knicks on his list and not Boston?

Well, that's quite easy, Irving wanted to lead his own team and not play in the shadow of LeBron. At that time if you remember, Boston was the main rival of Cleveland and had just played the Conference Finals against each other and point guard Isaiah Thomas was the star player of the Celtics. To be asked to be traded to that team would look extremely weird and unlikely. That it happened was something very few people had foreseen. I can tell you that Celtics fans were shocked (me personally was surprised, but loved it instantly).

What if the Knicks trade for Anthony Davis and sign Kevin Durant, will Irving join them? I don't think that anyone can answer that question. However I do have some practical questions. Lets assume (big assumption) that Irving, Durant and Davis have mutual interest to play together in New York. First problem is that Davis can't chose where he's going to go, the Pelicans are in charge. So who's going to be the first to commit to that plan? What if Durant's and Irving's agent inform the New York FO that they're looking to sign there if they trade for Davis and New Orleans declines the offer? What if that information comes out? Is New York willing to risk everything on Davis, without the guarantee that Durant goes there?

My advice to the Knicks would be to sign Kemba Walker, which could be possible since the Hornets are going nowhere. Then sign some players to short contracts (like resigning Matthews and Jordan). In the weak East that can get you to the playoffs I think. And in 2-3 years, when your young guys have gained some playoff experience you try to sign a big free agent, just before the rookie contracts expire. Steadily progression gets you further than shooting for the stars.

I don't recall ANY OF US asking for your advice. BYE!!

[AllanHoustonFan]

Celtics fan here. I have been reading a lot of rumours and a lot of that is based on false information. That's not specifically this forum, but I feel the need to counter some of these rumours.

First of all the idea that Irving has his mind on leaving the Celtics. That is untrue. He literally said during pre-season presentation: ''If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here''. Then after all these rumours about LA and New York he came out and responded again, because he was annoyed that his name was thrown in all that stuff (what he called: ''This is dumb ****'').

And then after questions about his future by journalists he said: ''I still have confidence in Boston and what they can offer for the future.'' Then a journalist asked him if anything had changed, since October, Irving frustratingly replied ''Ask me about it July 1st''. Postgame against the Knicks, Irving added: ''I have a focus on winning a championship this year and even me saying something like that isn't concrete enough for anybody''.

The reason why Irving hasn't signed an extension yet is simple: money. By waiting until July 1st, his new contract will be based on the increased salary cap and he can sign a 5-year contract for $188 million, instead of a 4-year extension for $101 million. And the Celtics will give him that extension. They won't let him walk and commit to Rozier to save money. Rozier is a good player, but Irving is clearly better.

In the unlikely case that Irving does decide to leave (anything can happen in the NBA, locker room incidents, fall outs with coaches, injuries etc.), you can be sure that he isn't going to the Lakers. The reason why he wanted out of Cleveland was LeBron James and now he would jump on the opportunity to come back? Be real, that's ridiculous.

Are the Knicks in play? Well at the moment I don't think so. Why did he have the Knicks on his list and not Boston?

Well, that's quite easy, Irving wanted to lead his own team and not play in the shadow of LeBron. At that time if you remember, Boston was the main rival of Cleveland and had just played the Conference Finals against each other and point guard Isaiah Thomas was the star player of the Celtics. To be asked to be traded to that team would look extremely weird and unlikely. That it happened was something very few people had foreseen. I can tell you that Celtics fans were shocked (me personally was surprised, but loved it instantly).

What if the Knicks trade for Anthony Davis and sign Kevin Durant, will Irving join them? I don't think that anyone can answer that question. However I do have some practical questions. Lets assume (big assumption) that Irving, Durant and Davis have mutual interest to play together in New York. First problem is that Davis can't chose where he's going to go, the Pelicans are in charge. So who's going to be the first to commit to that plan? What if Durant's and Irving's agent inform the New York FO that they're looking to sign there if they trade for Davis and New Orleans declines the offer? What if that information comes out? Is New York willing to risk everything on Davis, without the guarantee that Durant goes there?

My advice to the Knicks would be to sign Kemba Walker, which could be possible since the Hornets are going nowhere. Then sign some players to short contracts (like resigning Matthews and Jordan). In the weak East that can get you to the playoffs I think. And in 2-3 years, when your young guys have gained some playoff experience you try to sign a big free agent, just before the rookie contracts expire. Steadily progression gets you further than shooting for the stars.

I see you're on step 2 of 7

[2010]

Playing devil's advocate here but why are we so convinced KD + Kyrie will take us anywhere?

Like for real, what did KD ever win before joining an all-time great completely STACKED team?

KD couldn't win it with Westbrook. What makes us so confident about the prospects of him pairing up with Kyrie?

#justsaying

Sorry, we'll halt all plans until LeBron agrees to come here.

Foh wit the cute schit.

[DaGawd]

Celtics fan here. I have been reading a lot of rumours and a lot of that is based on false information. That's not specifically this forum, but I feel the need to counter some of these rumours.

First of all the idea that Irving has his mind on leaving the Celtics. That is untrue. He literally said during pre-season presentation: ''If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here''. Then after all these rumours about LA and New York he came out and responded again, because he was annoyed that his name was thrown in all that stuff (what he called: ''This is dumb ****'').

And then after questions about his future by journalists he said: ''I still have confidence in Boston and what they can offer for the future.'' Then a journalist asked him if anything had changed, since October, Irving frustratingly replied ''Ask me about it July 1st''. Postgame against the Knicks, Irving added: ''I have a focus on winning a championship this year and even me saying something like that isn't concrete enough for anybody''.

The reason why Irving hasn't signed an extension yet is simple: money. By waiting until July 1st, his new contract will be based on the increased salary cap and he can sign a 5-year contract for $188 million, instead of a 4-year extension for $101 million. And the Celtics will give him that extension. They won't let him walk and commit to Rozier to save money. Rozier is a good player, but Irving is clearly better.

In the unlikely case that Irving does decide to leave (anything can happen in the NBA, locker room incidents, fall outs with coaches, injuries etc.), you can be sure that he isn't going to the Lakers. The reason why he wanted out of Cleveland was LeBron James and now he would jump on the opportunity to come back? Be real, that's ridiculous.

Are the Knicks in play? Well at the moment I don't think so. Why did he have the Knicks on his list and not Boston?

Well, that's quite easy, Irving wanted to lead his own team and not play in the shadow of LeBron. At that time if you remember, Boston was the main rival of Cleveland and had just played the Conference Finals against each other and point guard Isaiah Thomas was the star player of the Celtics. To be asked to be traded to that team would look extremely weird and unlikely. That it happened was something very few people had foreseen. I can tell you that Celtics fans were shocked (me personally was surprised, but loved it instantly).

What if the Knicks trade for Anthony Davis and sign Kevin Durant, will Irving join them? I don't think that anyone can answer that question. However I do have some practical questions. Lets assume (big assumption) that Irving, Durant and Davis have mutual interest to play together in New York. First problem is that Davis can't chose where he's going to go, the Pelicans are in charge. So who's going to be the first to commit to that plan? What if Durant's and Irving's agent inform the New York FO that they're looking to sign there if they trade for Davis and New Orleans declines the offer? What if that information comes out? Is New York willing to risk everything on Davis, without the guarantee that Durant goes there?

My advice to the Knicks would be to sign Kemba Walker, which could be possible since the Hornets are going nowhere. Then sign some players to short contracts (like resigning Matthews and Jordan). In the weak East that can get you to the playoffs I think. And in 2-3 years, when your young guys have gained some playoff experience you try to sign a big free agent, just before the rookie contracts expire. Steadily progression gets you further than shooting for the stars.

I advise you to STFU

[Knicksfan20]

Celtics fan here. I have been reading a lot of rumours and a lot of that is based on false information. That's not specifically this forum, but I feel the need to counter some of these rumours.

First of all the idea that Irving has his mind on leaving the Celtics. That is untrue. He literally said during pre-season presentation: ''If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here''. Then after all these rumours about LA and New York he came out and responded again, because he was annoyed that his name was thrown in all that stuff (what he called: ''This is dumb ****'').

And then after questions about his future by journalists he said: ''I still have confidence in Boston and what they can offer for the future.'' Then a journalist asked him if anything had changed, since October, Irving frustratingly replied ''Ask me about it July 1st''. Postgame against the Knicks, Irving added: ''I have a focus on winning a championship this year and even me saying something like that isn't concrete enough for anybody''.

The reason why Irving hasn't signed an extension yet is simple: money. By waiting until July 1st, his new contract will be based on the increased salary cap and he can sign a 5-year contract for $188 million, instead of a 4-year extension for $101 million. And the Celtics will give him that extension. They won't let him walk and commit to Rozier to save money. Rozier is a good player, but Irving is clearly better.

In the unlikely case that Irving does decide to leave (anything can happen in the NBA, locker room incidents, fall outs with coaches, injuries etc.), you can be sure that he isn't going to the Lakers. The reason why he wanted out of Cleveland was LeBron James and now he would jump on the opportunity to come back? Be real, that's ridiculous.

Are the Knicks in play? Well at the moment I don't think so. Why did he have the Knicks on his list and not Boston?

Well, that's quite easy, Irving wanted to lead his own team and not play in the shadow of LeBron. At that time if you remember, Boston was the main rival of Cleveland and had just played the Conference Finals against each other and point guard Isaiah Thomas was the star player of the Celtics. To be asked to be traded to that team would look extremely weird and unlikely. That it happened was something very few people had foreseen. I can tell you that Celtics fans were shocked (me personally was surprised, but loved it instantly).

What if the Knicks trade for Anthony Davis and sign Kevin Durant, will Irving join them? I don't think that anyone can answer that question. However I do have some practical questions. Lets assume (big assumption) that Irving, Durant and Davis have mutual interest to play together in New York. First problem is that Davis can't chose where he's going to go, the Pelicans are in charge. So who's going to be the first to commit to that plan? What if Durant's and Irving's agent inform the New York FO that they're looking to sign there if they trade for Davis and New Orleans declines the offer? What if that information comes out? Is New York willing to risk everything on Davis, without the guarantee that Durant goes there?

My advice to the Knicks would be to sign Kemba Walker, which could be possible since the Hornets are going nowhere. Then sign some players to short contracts (like resigning Matthews and Jordan). In the weak East that can get you to the playoffs I think. And in 2-3 years, when your young guys have gained some playoff experience you try to sign a big free agent, just before the rookie contracts expire. Steadily progression gets you further than shooting for the stars.

You wrote that all for no reason. I stopped reading after you said Kyrie isn’t going to leave Boston. He’s leaving bro.

[Blue Ninja]

Another asset that is unmentioned in the large part (in the media, etc) is the potential for acquiring additional draft picks from teams for cap. Say we don't get the superstars we are after, and a team the Clippers want to dump Gallinari and Avery Bradley for cap space to go after another FA, we can swoop in and take a first or two and Shai off their hands. That's additional assets coming from this trade, while we develop our young core.

It just puts the team in a great position. They just have to make sure they follow the superstar or collect assets with the cap space approach.

[2010]

Playing devil's advocate here but why are we so convinced KD + Kyrie will take us anywhere?

Like for real, what did KD ever win before joining an all-time great completely STACKED team?

KD couldn't win it with Westbrook. What makes us so confident about the prospects of him pairing up with Kyrie?

#justsaying

It's called taking a HUGE step forward. KD is arguably the 2nd best player in today's NBA. If you have a chance to get him and see what you can build, what team DOESN'T do it?? That's exactly what the entire league is about to try and do in his upcoming FA anyway.

Regarding Kyrie or anybody else: IF they don't work out, then they're a trade asset to secure someone who does work out.

I don't see the problem here.

I don't see one either.

Like I said, mostly just playing devil's advocate. Just sparking some interesting conversation for alternative takes and view points. I can rock with responses like yours.

But the SmoothLefty cute 'ish, yeah totally miss me with the bullchit.

But for the record, yeah of course if we have the cap space we gotta see if they'll come. But we still gotta make it work. And it's harder than we think. Thunder didn't win it all and they had 3 eventual MVP's + prime Ibaka when he still cared about defense.

[newyorker4ever]

Celtics fan here. I have been reading a lot of rumours and a lot of that is based on false information. That's not specifically this forum, but I feel the need to counter some of these rumours.

First of all the idea that Irving has his mind on leaving the Celtics. That is untrue. He literally said during pre-season presentation: ''If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here''. Then after all these rumours about LA and New York he came out and responded again, because he was annoyed that his name was thrown in all that stuff (what he called: ''This is dumb ****'').

And then after questions about his future by journalists he said: ''I still have confidence in Boston and what they can offer for the future.'' Then a journalist asked him if anything had changed, since October, Irving frustratingly replied ''Ask me about it July 1st''. Postgame against the Knicks, Irving added: ''I have a focus on winning a championship this year and even me saying something like that isn't concrete enough for anybody''.

The reason why Irving hasn't signed an extension yet is simple: money. By waiting until July 1st, his new contract will be based on the increased salary cap and he can sign a 5-year contract for $188 million, instead of a 4-year extension for $101 million. And the Celtics will give him that extension. They won't let him walk and commit to Rozier to save money. Rozier is a good player, but Irving is clearly better.

In the unlikely case that Irving does decide to leave (anything can happen in the NBA, locker room incidents, fall outs with coaches, injuries etc.), you can be sure that he isn't going to the Lakers. The reason why he wanted out of Cleveland was LeBron James and now he would jump on the opportunity to come back? Be real, that's ridiculous.

Are the Knicks in play? Well at the moment I don't think so. Why did he have the Knicks on his list and not Boston?

Well, that's quite easy, Irving wanted to lead his own team and not play in the shadow of LeBron. At that time if you remember, Boston was the main rival of Cleveland and had just played the Conference Finals against each other and point guard Isaiah Thomas was the star player of the Celtics. To be asked to be traded to that team would look extremely weird and unlikely. That it happened was something very few people had foreseen. I can tell you that Celtics fans were shocked (me personally was surprised, but loved it instantly).

What if the Knicks trade for Anthony Davis and sign Kevin Durant, will Irving join them? I don't think that anyone can answer that question. However I do have some practical questions. Lets assume (big assumption) that Irving, Durant and Davis have mutual interest to play together in New York. First problem is that Davis can't chose where he's going to go, the Pelicans are in charge. So who's going to be the first to commit to that plan? What if Durant's and Irving's agent inform the New York FO that they're looking to sign there if they trade for Davis and New Orleans declines the offer? What if that information comes out? Is New York willing to risk everything on Davis, without the guarantee that Durant goes there?

My advice to the Knicks would be to sign Kemba Walker, which could be possible since the Hornets are going nowhere. Then sign some players to short contracts (like resigning Matthews and Jordan). In the weak East that can get you to the playoffs I think. And in 2-3 years, when your young guys have gained some playoff experience you try to sign a big free agent, just before the rookie contracts expire. Steadily progression gets you further than shooting for the stars.

sorry brah but irving is gone. it's better you accept it now.

He is gone but unfortunately i think it will be him joining AD and Lebron in LA over joining KD with the Knicks. I think the Lakers are gonna trade for AD and Kyrie will follow as a free agent.

[NoLayupRule]

My advice to the Knicks would be to sign Kemba Walker, which could be possible since the Hornets are going nowhere. Then sign some players to short contracts (like resigning Matthews and Jordan).

Ill bet it is

lol


sorry mate

we will see about Kyrie in boston and we will see about him in NYC but your pov isnt the only one

Id bet good money that Ainge will let Kyrie walk and pay Rozier instead of the other way around. Unless he moves Haywood first, which I dont think he can.


But no one knows

all we know is that Kemba, Jordan and Mathews is a very small step forward and not one most knicks fans are interested in

perhaps Celtics fans would be though

[NoLayupRule]

The number of tweets and stories coming out now that there were negotiations to trade KP for a while suggests that this was just kept well under wraps, and you're right to give him the benefit of the doubt. He seems to be a little cold blooded - he didn't flinch when trading away our "savior" and risking the wrath of all Knicks fans, should this not work out well. He did what he saw as the best path forward for us.

If we manage to sign 2 max players, or if we don't, our future looks great. And if we sign 2 max players PLUS AD, we're contending right away.

Just to be clear
We can’t sogn two maxes and get AD

But it’s a fun fantasy

I can say KD will give a discount to form a super team of AD/KD/Kyrie. Their salary will come under cap - AD(27), Kyrie(35) and KD(38). Jordan will come under MLE and other ring chasers will sign for Minimum.

KD has two rings and win his third now. If he forms a super team in New York with AD , Kyrie and Jordan (MLE) it will help him win three more rings. KD gets 6 rings and NY Media will make him GOAT . Same number of rings as MJ.

KD will make more than 500M thru endorsements and business deals. A few million less will compensate become a legend in basketball. In New York he becomes the leader and gets championship banner. LeBron has three rings and will diminish his legacy.
It is KD way to get back at LeBron.

I am sure the KP trade was executed when AD asked for a trade. This is all planned

i think thats silly but I hope you are right

your suggestion is that we trade for AD, he signs the extension after we then sign Kyrie and KD to somewhat under the max deals, which would be significantly less than their current teams would be offering.

in order to do that we would have to include Knox and this years pick just to get salary down anywhere close


doesn't add up to me

[NoLayupRule]

Another asset that is unmentioned in the large part (in the media, etc) is the potential for acquiring additional draft picks from teams for cap. Say we don't get the superstars we are after, and a team the Clippers want to dump Gallinari and Avery Bradley for cap space to go after another FA, we can swoop in and take a first or two and Shai off their hands. That's additional assets coming from this trade, while we develop our young core.

It just puts the team in a great position. They just have to make sure they follow the superstar or collect assets with the cap space approach.

for sure

or players for space

Griffith was talking about this on NBA tv

signing free agents is only one of the ways a smart team can use cap space to grow


the key being "smart team"

[N8isScofield]

Playing devil's advocate here but why are we so convinced KD + Kyrie will take us anywhere?

Like for real, what did KD ever win before joining an all-time great completely STACKED team?

KD couldn't win it with Westbrook. What makes us so confident about the prospects of him pairing up with Kyrie?

#justsaying

LeBron didn't win anything before joining a stacked team either. Then he learned how to win and improved as a player. KD is better than he was in OKC in part because he learned how to win. Kyrie also knows how to win. Do you not see the value in bringing elite players who have already done what it takes to win here? Forget the fact that KD and Kyrie are better than say Amare and Melo were. They also have already won. They don't have to figure out how to do it. They know what it takes. That's a huge factor. That's what makes all of the elite K's so appealing actually. KD, Kawhi, Kyrie and Klay have all won rings and all know what a winning culture is. Their value is not just their elite ability but also the ability to impart their knowledge of what it takes to win on the young guys who are here next year. That's huge.

[BKlutch]

Lance gives the best interviews. He analyzes and understands all of his teammates and talks about them only in the most positive way. He’s very well spoken. And brighter than I knew from just watching him play. I’m. Not a word of worry about himself. I’m beginning to understand how he’s stayed around so long.

[DowNY]

Celtics fan here. I have been reading a lot of rumours and a lot of that is based on false information. That's not specifically this forum, but I feel the need to counter some of these rumours.

First of all the idea that Irving has his mind on leaving the Celtics. That is untrue. He literally said during pre-season presentation: ''If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here''. Then after all these rumours about LA and New York he came out and responded again, because he was annoyed that his name was thrown in all that stuff (what he called: ''This is dumb ****'').

And then after questions about his future by journalists he said: ''I still have confidence in Boston and what they can offer for the future.'' Then a journalist asked him if anything had changed, since October, Irving frustratingly replied ''Ask me about it July 1st''. Postgame against the Knicks, Irving added: ''I have a focus on winning a championship this year and even me saying something like that isn't concrete enough for anybody''.

The reason why Irving hasn't signed an extension yet is simple: money. By waiting until July 1st, his new contract will be based on the increased salary cap and he can sign a 5-year contract for $188 million, instead of a 4-year extension for $101 million. And the Celtics will give him that extension. They won't let him walk and commit to Rozier to save money. Rozier is a good player, but Irving is clearly better.

In the unlikely case that Irving does decide to leave (anything can happen in the NBA, locker room incidents, fall outs with coaches, injuries etc.), you can be sure that he isn't going to the Lakers. The reason why he wanted out of Cleveland was LeBron James and now he would jump on the opportunity to come back? Be real, that's ridiculous.

Are the Knicks in play? Well at the moment I don't think so. Why did he have the Knicks on his list and not Boston?

Well, that's quite easy, Irving wanted to lead his own team and not play in the shadow of LeBron. At that time if you remember, Boston was the main rival of Cleveland and had just played the Conference Finals against each other and point guard Isaiah Thomas was the star player of the Celtics. To be asked to be traded to that team would look extremely weird and unlikely. That it happened was something very few people had foreseen. I can tell you that Celtics fans were shocked (me personally was surprised, but loved it instantly).

What if the Knicks trade for Anthony Davis and sign Kevin Durant, will Irving join them? I don't think that anyone can answer that question. However I do have some practical questions. Lets assume (big assumption) that Irving, Durant and Davis have mutual interest to play together in New York. First problem is that Davis can't chose where he's going to go, the Pelicans are in charge. So who's going to be the first to commit to that plan? What if Durant's and Irving's agent inform the New York FO that they're looking to sign there if they trade for Davis and New Orleans declines the offer? What if that information comes out? Is New York willing to risk everything on Davis, without the guarantee that Durant goes there?

My advice to the Knicks would be to sign Kemba Walker, which could be possible since the Hornets are going nowhere. Then sign some players to short contracts (like resigning Matthews and Jordan). In the weak East that can get you to the playoffs I think. And in 2-3 years, when your young guys have gained some playoff experience you try to sign a big free agent, just before the rookie contracts expire. Steadily progression gets you further than shooting for the stars.

sorry brah but irving is gone. it's better you accept it now.

He is gone but unfortunately i think it will be him joining AD and Lebron in LA over joining KD with the Knicks. I think the Lakers are gonna trade for AD and Kyrie will follow as a free agent.

You ever ask yourself why AD has Lakers AND Knicks on his list? Not even Celtics on his list.
Dudes around the league probably know that Lebron is out in LA & KD is about to be out in NY.
The choice will be between KD vs. Lebron.

AD will let Pelicans and the Lakers & Knicks go back and forth until a team win his services and he’s probably fine either way.

Same can be said with Kyrie. He’s either playing with Lebron or KD.

[BKlutch]

Wes spoke well, too, and got in a clever dig at tabloids when responding to a question from Berman. DJ said he’s happy here, and Dennis seems really glad to be out from under the Mavs new order. All in all, a nice press conference.

[jermsknicks]

Celtics fan here. I have been reading a lot of rumours and a lot of that is based on false information. That's not specifically this forum, but I feel the need to counter some of these rumours.

First of all the idea that Irving has his mind on leaving the Celtics. That is untrue. He literally said during pre-season presentation: ''If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here''. Then after all these rumours about LA and New York he came out and responded again, because he was annoyed that his name was thrown in all that stuff (what he called: ''This is dumb ****'').

And then after questions about his future by journalists he said: ''I still have confidence in Boston and what they can offer for the future.'' Then a journalist asked him if anything had changed, since October, Irving frustratingly replied ''Ask me about it July 1st''. Postgame against the Knicks, Irving added: ''I have a focus on winning a championship this year and even me saying something like that isn't concrete enough for anybody''.

The reason why Irving hasn't signed an extension yet is simple: money. By waiting until July 1st, his new contract will be based on the increased salary cap and he can sign a 5-year contract for $188 million, instead of a 4-year extension for $101 million. And the Celtics will give him that extension. They won't let him walk and commit to Rozier to save money. Rozier is a good player, but Irving is clearly better.

In the unlikely case that Irving does decide to leave (anything can happen in the NBA, locker room incidents, fall outs with coaches, injuries etc.), you can be sure that he isn't going to the Lakers. The reason why he wanted out of Cleveland was LeBron James and now he would jump on the opportunity to come back? Be real, that's ridiculous.

Are the Knicks in play? Well at the moment I don't think so. Why did he have the Knicks on his list and not Boston?

Well, that's quite easy, Irving wanted to lead his own team and not play in the shadow of LeBron. At that time if you remember, Boston was the main rival of Cleveland and had just played the Conference Finals against each other and point guard Isaiah Thomas was the star player of the Celtics. To be asked to be traded to that team would look extremely weird and unlikely. That it happened was something very few people had foreseen. I can tell you that Celtics fans were shocked (me personally was surprised, but loved it instantly).

What if the Knicks trade for Anthony Davis and sign Kevin Durant, will Irving join them? I don't think that anyone can answer that question. However I do have some practical questions. Lets assume (big assumption) that Irving, Durant and Davis have mutual interest to play together in New York. First problem is that Davis can't chose where he's going to go, the Pelicans are in charge. So who's going to be the first to commit to that plan? What if Durant's and Irving's agent inform the New York FO that they're looking to sign there if they trade for Davis and New Orleans declines the offer? What if that information comes out? Is New York willing to risk everything on Davis, without the guarantee that Durant goes there?

My advice to the Knicks would be to sign Kemba Walker, which could be possible since the Hornets are going nowhere. Then sign some players to short contracts (like resigning Matthews and Jordan). In the weak East that can get you to the playoffs I think. And in 2-3 years, when your young guys have gained some playoff experience you try to sign a big free agent, just before the rookie contracts expire. Steadily progression gets you further than shooting for the stars.

STFU and GTFO

Wow, my thoughts exactly!

[knickstape4ever]

Looking at the potential super star combo's and the only likely scenario is KD and Kyrie. Based on the fact the KD seems the likeliest to come here, Kyrie has to be the other star. No way GS loses both KD and Klay and I doubt Kawhi would play with KD b/c they got beef (KD called him a system player)

...I don't consider Kemba to be a max guy

[jermsknicks]

Playing devil's advocate here but why are we so convinced KD + Kyrie will take us anywhere?

Like for real, what did KD ever win before joining an all-time great completely STACKED team?

KD couldn't win it with Westbrook. What makes us so confident about the prospects of him pairing up with Kyrie?

#justsaying

Sorry, we'll halt all plans until LeBron agrees to come here.

Foh wit the cute schit.

We don't have any guarantees to win shyt with Kyrie or KD. That is why we can't trade the farm for AD. We need to have some guys to root for (hopefully Barrett, Morant or Williamson) if this quick fix back fires.

It has been a brutal season, but I believe the majority of fans "Get It". 30 more games to go and even less until the lottery.
Fans are "woke" for other reasons and not for KP's whinny tail.

To answer your question, we are in the East where none of these teams are proven they got what it takes to win it all or even win the East. Next season, whomever comes out the East, KD and Co will get in their heads from jump.

Let's shoot for home court in the first round of next year's playoffs and let everything else fall into place afterwards.

[newyorker4ever]

Looking at the potential super star combo's and the only likely scenario is KD and Kyrie. Based on the fact the KD seems the likeliest to come here, Kyrie has to be the other star. No way GS loses both KD and Klay and I doubt Kawhi would play with KD b/c they got beef (KD called him a system player)

...I don't consider Kemba to be a max guy

Is the only reason nobody ever brings up J.Butler is because he doesn't seem to get along great with every teammate or coach he plays for cause basketball skills wise he's absolutely a super star on that court? He can shoot, take it to the basket, has hit multiple game winning shots, rebounds and plays great defense. I love him for what he does on the court and would absolutely love those skills on the Knicks with KD.

[RodyTur10]

Not welcome I see.

Just wanted to give everyone some more information on the Irving-Celtics situation, which as a Celtics fan I have been following very closely and I'm sure know a lot more of than an average Knicks fan. Sorry for that burn, but some guys here deserved that for their inappropriate response.

l'll keep following this topic, since it is very amusing, but I won't post again.

Maybe I'll come back at July 1st, the day Irving said we should ask him again about his future and the first day the Celtics can announce that they have resigned Irving to a 5-year-deal. Peace.