Four days after Anthony Davis made the most consequential trade request in 44 years, and less than 24 hours after the Knicks traded their most promising homegrown talent in a generation to chase the grandest dream in franchise history, Kyrie Irving made it clear that he doesn’t owe anyone shit. I am not throwing bones, or parsing anonymously sourced reports, or reading tea leaves. I am reading his words, transcribed by people who heard him say them at the Boston Celtics’ shootaround ahead of their Friday night game at Madison Square Garden: Kyrie Irving has shifted from his commitment to re-signing with the Celtics: “I don’t owe anybody shit.” — Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) February 1, 2019 “I’m just going to do what’s best for me,” Irving told reporters when asked, in light of the Davis trade request, the Porzingis trade, and the speculation that his future might be tied to those developments, whether his future plans had changed. “That’s what it really comes down to. [...] I’m not worried about a reputation. I’m not worried about a legacy to leave. I’m just trying to be a human being, trying to make the best decision for me and my family.” If you’re a Celtics fan—or, perhaps, a member of Boston’s front office—those words might come as a decidedly unwelcome surprise! After all, Irving, who holds a $21.3 million player option for the 2019-20 season that he is widely expected to decline so that he can enter unrestricted free agency this summer, said at an event for Celtics season-ticket holders two weeks before the start of the season that “if you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here.” He also said, “I just have every intent to sign back. I just wanted to clear that up.” And, “A lot of great players have come before me, but to throw my name in Boston Celtics tradition and history is something I’m glad I can do and plan on doing.” And, “Now I don’t have to answer any other questions like, ‘What are you looking for [in free agency]?’ It was time. I’m glad I got past it. I can be with my teammates and we can move forward without a distraction.” (Although we perhaps forget Irving’s third-eye take on distractions at our own peril.) But he said all that stuff, like, four months ago, man. Do you even remember what was going on at the beginning of October? Tom Thibodeau was pretty sure he could still get this Jimmy Butler business sorted out. The Brett Kavanaugh nomination seemed like it could go either way. Banksy pieces were self-destructing, for Reasons. Goddamn Venom! Four months isn’t just an eternity in the sports/media landscape of 2018-19; it’s an alternate dimension. In Friday’s media session, Irving chalked his October statement up, in part, to “excitement.” When excitement wanes, though, an eye can wander. “At the end of the day, I spent the last eight years trying to do what everybody else wanted me to do, in terms of making my decisions and trying to validate through the media, through other personnel, managers, anybody in this business,” Irving told reporters. “And I don’t owe anybody shit. So for me, I think the confidence I have in myself and my abilities, I want to be able to control what I want to control.” That word—control, and all that it implies—means more than just about any other in the NBA lexicon at this point. For decades, players had virtually no control over anything: who drafted them, who they’d play with, what they could earn. That began to change with the onset of unrestricted free agency in the 1988 collective bargaining agreement. (Shouts out to Tom Chambers.) The pace of change increased when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh decided to take three-year extensions of their rookie contracts rather than the customary five-year re-up, forsaking some financial security in exchange for future flexibility, and setting the stage for the paradigm-exploding power move that built the Big Three Miami Heat in 2010. That pace has reached dizzying speed in recent years, as James and a generation of superstars who have studied his moves—including Irving—have come to understand just how much power they possess. The grand prize of superstardom isn’t the max salary and the endorsement deals. It’s the opportunity to gain control. To be clear: This is better! Players are the labor and the product, and deserve the fruits of all of that, to the greatest degree they can get them and exercise them. But it also makes team-building incredibly tricky. In the NBA as it exists now, which could be drastically different than the NBA that exists by the time I finish writing this sentence, plans and intentions matter only if they’re written on a signed contract. And even those mean only so much. Just ask Kevin Pritchard, R.C. Buford, or Dell Demps. Or, for that matter, ask Koby Altman, whose reward for becoming an NBA general manager at age 34 was finding out that Irving, with two seasons still remaining on a five-year extension of his rookie contract, wanted out of Cleveland. Now, less than two years after having that wish granted through a trade to a Celtics team that seemed to provide everything he was looking for—an opportunity to consistently compete for championships; a more central offensive role; a luminous supporting cast; a front office that had amassed a war chest of prospects and draft picks with which to pursue elite players, and has a demonstrated appetite for taking big swings to land them—the five-time All-Star has backed off his public comments about wanting to re-sign in Boston. Maybe that’s because what he thought he had in Boston in October hasn’t actually materialized. The Celtics have sputtered through fits and starts, only recently seeming to find a steady rhythm that maximizes their loaded roster. A team predicted by many to roll to 60-odd wins and the East’s no.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up fornow and never miss the top F1 stories again That’s according to former NBA star Jalen Rose, who suggests Irving will almost certainly walk away if Boston fail to make the NBA Finals. Irving handed the Celtics the best news possible at the start of the campaign when he announced that he plans to sign an extension with Boston in 2019. With Gordon Hayward returning from injury as well, there was plenty of optimism about what the Celtics could achieve this season. But Brad Stevens’ side have struggled to replicate their form of recent years with Hayward not yet back to his best.<doc-sep>Winslow Townson/Associated Press While the Boston Celtics could be dreaming about adding Anthony Davis this offseason to team with Kyrie Irving, they could end up with neither superstar next season. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, "There's a growing belief of uncertainty that Kyrie Irving will re-sign with Boston." Haynes also reported that the Celtics are "not a top target" for Davis. The center's agent requested a trade Monday and informed the New Orleans Pelicans that he would not be signing an extension with the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com. While the Pelicans will be free to trade with nearly any team before the Feb. 7 deadline, the Celtics are out of the running because both Davis and Irving have signed designated rookie extensions and a team can't trade for two of those players. The Celtics would be allowed to make a deal in the offseason, however, once Irving becomes a free agent. The hope was that the point guard would re-sign with the team after declining his $21.3 million option, especially after announcing it was his intention to do so in front of a raucous crowd in October: Video Play Button Videos you might like Irving has been everything the Celtics have hoped of him on the court this year, averaging 23.7 points per game to go with career highs in assists (6.9) and rebounds per game (4.8). He is headed to the All-Star Game for the sixth time in seven seasons and is even getting MVP buzz for his efforts. However, there has seemingly been some friction of late, including calling out his teammates in the press. "The young guys don't know what it takes to be a championship-level team," Irving told reporters earlier in January. With Boston apparently not a top destination for Davis, if Irving leaves in free agency, an organization with high expectations could take a major step backward.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up fornow and never miss the top F1 stories again That is the view of former Celtics star Chauncey Billups. Irving will become a free agent this year and has admitted that he might not sign a new deal at the Celtics. In recent weeks, he has been heavily linked with moves to either the New York Knicks or the Los Angeles Lakers at the end of the season. He had previously promised fans that he would re-sign at the Celtics, but has since changed his tune.<doc-sep>
The Anthony Davis sweepstakes are off to a bad start for the Boston Celtics. Davis reportedly requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans, plunging the NBA world into utter chaos. And that’s bad news for the Celtics, who can’t trade for Davis until July 1, when Kyrie Irving can opt out of his current deal. All along, the dream scenario for the Celtics and their fans has been to re-sign Irving in July then swing a deal for Davis. And with Irving saying before the season that he intends to re-sign, coupled with reports of Davis being interested in Boston, there’s been reason to believe a deal could get done. Well, it’s time to pump the brakes. Davis reportedly isn’t high on the Celtics, and Irving’s contract situation is a big reason why. “Regarding team preferences, Boston is not a top target for Davis, sources said,” Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes reported Monday. “There?s a growing belief of uncertainty that Kyrie Irving will re-sign with Boston, sources said, even though he vowed to do so at the beginning of the season.” Yahoo Sources: Lakers and Knicks preparing an offer to Pelicans for star Anthony Davis and why Celtics aren?t a desired preference. https://t.co/f47Afbh3d0 — Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 28, 2019 Ouch. Haynes also reported the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers are preparing to make offers. The Philadelphia 76ers are not planning to pursue Davis at this time. Davis, 25, can opt out of his current deal and become a free agent after next season. Thumbnail photo via Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports Images