The Boston Celtics are the favorites to win the Eastern Conference this season and represent the East in the NBA Finals. Part of that has to do with LeBron James’ departure from the conference, but even if James had stayed in Cleveland, Boston — with Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward returning — very likely would’ve passed the Cavs as the betting favorites anyways.
How long the Celtics will reign over the East as favorites may be determined by Irving. The All-Star point guard will be a free agent next summer and his departure would help close the perceived gap between Boston and Philadelphia and Toronto. We’ll find out if it actually exists come late May.
There are naturally plenty of rumors already swirling about Irving’s future, from whether he’ll look to go to New York since he’s a New Jersey native or if he’ll join forces with his buddy Jimmy Butler somewhere after he secures a trade out of Minnesota. Even with all that noise, Boston seems like the favorite to keep Irving so long as they offer the max deal he’ll command. Irving obviously won’t commit to anything right now, but his Wednesday comments to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols will make Boston fans pretty happy.
You know all the talk about Kyrie Irving as one of the elite free agents available next summer? Not so fast. Here's what he told me: "Even if I ever try to think about that thought of going elsewhere, it would be like 'what are you thinking? We're pretty f-ing good here." pic.twitter.com/QEM4XMDvWM
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) September 26, 2018
“Who wouldn’t want to be part of that, to be honest?” Irving asks. “The future is very, very bright in Boston. Even if I ever try to think about that thought of going elsewhere, it would be like ‘what are you thinking? We’re pretty f’ing good here. Like, we’re pretty f’ing good not just for this year, but for years to come. Yeah, I’m looking forward to that.”
Couple that with Irving’s comments to Boston radio show Toucher & Rich about the New York rumors, and Celtics fans have to feel pretty confident about their chances of keeping the star.
Kyrie Irving, on his future, to @Toucherandrich: "It's easy to follow. I'm from New Jersey. But it's rumors, rumors, rumors. … It's easy to draw that connection – New York City – but why would I want to leave here?" #Celtics
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) September 26, 2018
Irving is right in that there likely won’t be a better situation basketball-wise for him than the Celtics this summer. Boston has loads of talent and a great balance of veteran stars and up-and-coming young guys, and as he notes, they should be really good for the foreseeable future.
However, as we’ve seen before, on-court success isn’t everything in these decisions. LeBron is in L.A. now for the chance to revive the Lakers’ franchise and to make lots of movies and TV shows, not to win immediately. Kyrie himself is in Boston because he wanted out of a Cavs team that, at the time, was a lock for the Finals every year — although LeBron’s potential departure likely played a role in his decision.
We won’t know exactly what all of Irving’s motivations are for his next move, but it’s clear that he’s very aware of how good a situation he’s in with the Celtics.
