Celtics Should Be Overjoyed Kyrie Irving Reportedly Wants to Leave for Brooklyn

Yesterday, something that everyone was anticipating finally became fact: point guard Kyrie Irving chose not to pick up his $21.3 million option with the Boston Celtics.

For C's fans, this probably stings -- after months of holding out hope that there may be just a slight chance that Irving would have a change of heart and return to Boston, those dreams were dashed. For the first time in his career, Kyrie Irving will be a free agent.

But frankly, that's exactly why Boston should be rejoicing that Irving is headed elsewhere -- the need to basically pray that Irving wanted to be in the green and white next season should be proof enough that Kyrie has had his heart set on leaving for a while now, and having that kind of mentality in a locker room can become very dangerous very quickly.

In addition, Irving's departure provides a whole number of other positives: payroll flexibility, more touches for young stars, and the elimination of daily negative press.

Basically, what I'm saying is this: if Irving wants to go to chase a max deal in Brooklyn or Los Angeles, let him. Since 2014, the Celtics have tried to build a roster focused primarily around elite, young talent in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Terry Rozier. Kyrie leaving only allows that homegrown mentality to take center stage again exactly as it should.