The interest from teams around the league surrounding Celtics guard Kyrie Irving in free agency may be going down.
Franchises that were once very interested in pursuing Irving in free agency are now growing "more wary" to sign the guard after he struggled to be a leader with the Celtics during the season, according to the Boston Herald, which cited unidentified league sources. The report also notes some teams are concerned about putting "too many eggs in (Irving's) basket."
Per the Boston Herald:
"The most interesting bit of information from several sources that we’ve been able to consolidate and confirm is that some teams thought to have interest in Irving as a free agent are now a great deal more wary. Based on the way things played out with the Celtics this season and Irving’s role both off the court all year and on it in the playoff loss to Milwaukee, certain clubs are concerned about putting too many eggs in his basket right away.
"Two teams for certain are telling people they will only go after him if they land another marquee free agent and that player says he wants Irving. In each of these cases, the initial target is different. (There was worry on one of those clubs that the basketball ops people might be overruled by ownership and told to make Irving a primary aim, but that organization is now on the same page.)"
Irving, who was traded from the Cavaliers to the Celtics in August 2017, expressed dissatisfaction with the Celtics for much of the regular season as he aired his frustration about the younger players on his team. He said: "The young guys don’t know what it takes to be a championship level team."
In the postseason, the Celtics were eliminated by the Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, 4-1.
While Irving said in early October that he was planning to re-sign with the team, he has since seemed to backtrack on those comments.
Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant are all expected to headline a loaded free-agent class this offseason. Irving has been linked to the Nets, Knicks, and Lakers as potential landing spots in free agency.
