Kyrie Irving had $21.3 million on the table to return to the Boston Celtics and he has officially declined. The all-star point guard will officially become a free agent this summer.
Throughout the season, the relationship between Irving, the Celtics organization and his teammates was seemingly fragile. Those beliefs also led many to think that he would bolt to the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers or Brooklyn Nets as soon as he had the opportunity.
Celtics’ Kyrie Irving is not opting into his $21.3 million deal for next season and will become a free agent eligible to sign a new contract with Boston or elsewhere, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 12, 2019
Irving seemingly responds to the announcement of his potential departure by dropping a video on Instagram with multiple sports pundits saying his name in analysis, followed by a personal anecdote of how he approaches life and social media. The message was captioned with a Mother Theresa quote.
You can see the post below.
Adding to the mystery, Irving dropped his longtime agent and signed with Roc Nation Sports. The move has people pointing Uncle Drew to the Nets, but you never know.
Boston’s Kyrie Irving is expected to partner with ROC Nation Sports for representation, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/2ZQnKvDaLV
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 13, 2019