With Kyrie Irving entering 2019 NBA free agency after two years with the Boston Celtics, here are five teams that could try and land the All-Star point guard this offseason.
Of the many names that will hit the 2019 NBA free agency market, perhaps one of the most intriguing players is Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving.
After spending two seasons in Boston upon being traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers prior to the 2017-18 season, Irving recently declined his $21.3 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
One of the top players in the entire league and arguably the best point guard in the NBA, Irving is set to gain both a lot of attention and a large paycheck once the free agency period officially begins at 6 p.m. ET on June 30.
Irving is coming off of his third straight All-Star season for the Celtics in 2018-19. In 67 games in green and black during the regular season, he averaged 23.8 points, a career-high 6.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds and career-high-tying 1.5 steals in 33 minutes per game.
He also finished shooting 48.7 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from 3 and 87.3 percent from the free throw line in his eighth professional season.
Only 27 years old, Irving is still very much in the middle of his prime and will draw the interest of most if not all of the teams around the league once the signing period rolls around.
Will he return to Boston and help lead the Celtics back to the NBA Finals? Or will he bolt from Beantown to join another large market and try to build a new title contender for the upcoming season and beyond?
Prior to the start of free agency, let’s take a look at five suitors that should go out and pursue Irving and actually have a good chance of landing the All-Star point guard.