Kyrie Irving Officially Refuses to Pick Up 2019-20 Player Option and Heads for Free Agency
By Brendan Azoff
What we all expected to happen has officially occurred. Kyrie Irving has elected not to opt into what was the last possible year of his contract with the Celtics, making him a free agent eligible to re-sign with Boston or move on to a different franchise starting at the end of the month, reports 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
Irving, who has been linked to New York for quire some time, will be free to sign with a team like the Knicks or Nets once free agency begins in earnest. While rumors have swirled around him constantly, the most recent buzz has pointed toward Uncle Drew winding up as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, a move that would shock the basketball landscape.
Irving's 2019-20 player option was worth $21.3 million, but the max contract surely coming his way will be worth a heck of a lot more.
“I think the one player it really impacts is Kyrie Irving.”
— Golic and Wingo (@GolicAndWingo) June 11, 2019
-@wojespn on how the KD injury forces Brooklyn and the Knicks to ask if they want Kyrie as a solo act. pic.twitter.com/qo7RgxulPj
Signing Irving has been viewed as the key to earning the inside track to ink Kevin Durant as well, but now with the Achilles injury to the latter, Irving has a chance to become a true focal point of the offseason around the league.
The Kyrie chapter in Boston appears to have come to an end. Now, it's on to the next for one of the NBA's most polarizing stars.