Boston Celtics: What to make of Kyrie Irving’s free agency remarks

Boston Celtics superstar Kyrie Irving has found himself entangled in the elaborate web of the drama that comes with the NBA trade deadline. His latest comments to the media show his frustration with the business.

Life was simpler for Boston Celtics fans in the preseason. Oct. 4 saw Kyrie Irving announce to a crowded TD Garden “If you guy’s will have me back, I plan on re-signing here.”

On Feb. 1, it became, “Ask me July 1.” With all the hullabaloo over moves made (and not made yet), Kyrie Irving, on a team that will not trade him nor has received any inclination that he prefers to be moved, has found himself as an epicenter before a swarm of seismic moves seem destined to rock the core of the NBA.

It all starts with LeBron James. It always seems to start with LeBron when it concerns the Celtics. His draw is undeniable; there isn’t a player in the league that would not want to play with him, and that once again includes Kyrie.

Couple that with the entertainment capital of the world, with one of league’s most historic, successful franchises, and the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron are quite the attraction to any prospective free agents.

Now, just because Kyrie is now a movie star and LeBron started singing to him on his Instagram story does not mean Irving no longer wants to be on Celtics in the future. However, factoring in imminent moves with the top brass of NBA players like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis, the futures for all contenders have gotten a little more muddied.

And boy, did the New York Knicks make this a whole lot more complicated than need be. Trading Kristaps Porzingis was, eh, bold. This could go down as one of the stupidest, shortsighted moves in the history of a franchise filled with poor choices. It could also go down as a genius, forward-thinking play that brings glory to one of the most important cities in the world that has been starved for sports success since the Giants won a Super Bowl in 2011.

Dealing their best asset since Patrick Ewing for a guy they should have just drafted in 2017 and two expiring deals seems dumb on the surface. However, they did get draft picks from a team that has no guarantee to be any good in the future, and a lot of cap space to work with.

I can’t imagine the Knicks making this deal if they’re not confident about inking some big, big names in the offseason. Kyrie Irving has been tied to the franchise for a while now due to his home roots in New Jersey, and the draw to his own franchise in a city like New York could entice the likes of Kevin Durant.

With two max slots, this is an actual possibility for the Knicks. Also, they control a really good center still in DeAndre Jordan, so if they can sign two big names, then they can also bring Jordan back by going over the cap. It’s a huge risk, with small chance of coming to fruition, but you do have to have a begrudging respect for anybody that’s willing to move all their chips in and just go for it.

Now, the Celtics have found themselves in a really weird spot. They have extremely talented young players on their team that teams would be chomping at the bit to acquire. They have the best package to offer the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis, but making that move is going in blind on the future.

Their best draw for Davis to stay in Boston is Kyrie Irving. AD’s agent, Rich Paul, has made it clear that if it ain’t the Lakers, Davis ain’t staying. Yeah, sure, whatever. That shouldn’t stop anybody from making the move and working on convincing him to stay, just like the Oklahoma City Thunder did with Paul George, just like the Toronto Raptors with Kawhi and before that, DeMar DeRozan.

However, they can’t swoop in and make the move due to that pesky Rose Rule. Kyrie Irving’s and Anthony Davis’ current contracts can’t be on the same roster since they’d both be acquired via trade, so they can not make a deal without Kyrie first opting out of his contract this summer.

However, Terry Rozier‘s contract is also up, so to include him, which Boston would certainly want to do, would have to involve a sign-and-trade, which makes this all more complicated. If the Celtics are not confident Kyrie stays, make the move that loses one of or both of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and then Davis leaves, they’d be in a real tough spot moving forward.

So, this web of potential moves really has way more to do with Kyrie than he would like. He committed to Boston earlier in the season and constantly talks about patience and building with this young core, yet he still finds himself badgered with questions about his individual future in the organization.

Even at the time of his comments on Oct. 4, it seemed like that was a preemptive strike to dispel all the rabble over his free agency. We all knew a lot can change over the course of the season, and loyalty is leased in the NBA. Boston was going to have to win him over again and again all year, until there was no shred of doubt that it was the place he had to be.

Nobody could have foreseen all of this, though. Anthony Davis was not supposed to publicly demand a trade. The Knicks definitely weren’t supposed to move Porzingis. We all knew LeBron and the Lakers would be aggressive, but thinking they were in play for Kyrie at the beginning of the season was unfathomable.

So I get Irving being upset with all this pointing at him. He has taken the necessary steps to avoid being a distraction regarding free agency, and still, he is among the hottest topics in the league. He is trying to secure the streaky Celtics on his back to carry them to the NBA Finals, and now because of everyone else, he is getting interrogated over his plans for the offseason.

His plan was always to do what was best for his career. He got traded to Boston — a great landing spot, sure, but the Celtics have to show him this is where he needs to be. Questioning his loyalty now can only be seen as distrustful of a superstar’s word (which, in all fairness, isn’t at an all-time high is trustworthiness right now).

Boston has to weather this storm. Kyrie Irving is no less committed today than he was last week. Maybe Davis is in the future, maybe not. Boston can move forward with Tatum and Brown, or it can strike on Davis and hope he stays. Regardless, the Celtics need Kyrie Irving involved moving forward.

Show your star you need him, and that he can flourish unimpeded in an environment you create. The rest of the Celtics — players, coaches and front office — will have to show Irving the rest of the season, and most importantly in the playoffs, that this is where he needs to be. Without Kyrie Irving, all this is could be for naught.