The former No. 1 overall pick in 2011 out of the Duke Basketball program, Kyrie Irving, is set to become a free agent at the end of the month.
In what many were expecting for quite some time now, Kyrie Irving has officially declined his player option with the Boston Celtics for the 2019-20 season according to Shams Charania.
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
Although this was an expected move, Irving has become the second domino in what could be one of the most intriguing NBA off-seasons in recent memory as coveted potential free agent, Kevin Durant, rupturing his achilles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.
It has been rumored that Irving and Durant would try and team up next season, specifically in New York with the Knicks, although Durant and Irving to the Nets has picked up steam in recent weeks.
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Kyrie Irving is turning down a $21.3 Million extension after signing a 5-year, $94+ Million with the Cleveland Cavaliers before he was traded to the Boston Celtics.
While Irving could resign with the Celtics in theory, it appears his time there is over.
The NBA All-Star played in 127 games in Beantown, leading Boston to the Second Round of the NBA Playoffs this season after missing the teams run to the Conference Finals a year prior due to injury.
Irving averaged 24.4 and 23.8 points per game, respectively, in his two seasons with the Celtics and this year, he was named to the Second Team All-NBA and posted career totals in rebounds, assists, and blocks.
With Boston potentially out of the picture, it seems to be a race between the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Lakers to land the services of Irving, as all teams have ties to his past.
Kyrie Irving is a native of West Orange, New Jersey, a stones throw away from Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center, and in Los Angeles with his friend and old teammate, LeBron James.
Things are only beginning as the NBA enters arguably its most exciting time of the season.