Within a month of free agency, Kyrie Irving and his longtime agent Jeff Wechsler have parted ways, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Woj adds that Irving plans to sign with ROC Nation Sports, which will surely add fuel to the rumor that Irving plans to sign with the Nets this summer.
ROC Nation Sports, of course, was founded by rap mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, who was a part-owner of the Nets before getting into the sports representation business. Born in Brooklyn, Carter was an influential figure in the Nets move from New Jersey to Brooklyn back in 2012. Irving is also from the New York metro area.
ROC Nation Sports represents Nets guard Caris LeVert and used to represent the other marquee free agent who has been rumored to potentially join Irving in Brooklyn this summer – Warriors’ superstar Kevin Durant. If Irving does indeed plan to sign with the Nets, it’ll be interesting to see whether Durant wants to join him, and just as importantly, whether the Nets are willing to offer a maximum-salary contract to Durant after his recent injury.
It has been a busy news day for Irving, as it was also reported earlier today that the 27-year-old point guard will decline his 2019/20 player option with the Celtics, officially opening the door to unrestricted free agency this summer.
Was waiting for the Klutch sports sign lol
lmao its funny brooklyn thinks their getting a franchise player when all they getting is a cancer
#facts
What a jump to conclusion dude. Rozier went on ESPN and literally stated he was upset that Irving took away his playing time because it would effect his free agency and getting a big contract. He also made the comment that he and others were upset because Ainge and Stevens wanted the “other players” to work around the playing style of Irving and Hayward and not vice versa. If that, coupled with Irving apologizing to LBJ for sort of rebelling against the more senior player, doesn’t SCREAM that the root of the problem was the incumbent young players there prior to Irving and Hayward then I don’t know what is? The mercurial nature of Irving didn’t help and he needs to learn a lesson from this but to call him a cancer when it was obvious Rozier and others were putting their own interest ahead of the team is stupid. Keep chugging on the narrative dude. You’re blinded by the obvious.
The fact that every single Cavs player stated they were shocked by Irving’s trade request because they had no idea he was unhappy shows he was NOT a cancer in the locker room and it didn’t effect or prevent the team from playing at their highest level while a member of the team. He may have stood in the way of another shot at a title vs GSW but he didn’t cause any in-season issues.
I usually have respect for Boston fans but you have to be stupid or deaf to not clearly see that Rozier was a big part of the problem, and perhaps Tatum or Brown may have been on some levels too. After all, Hayward did take PT time from Tatum and Brown and it was more because of the financial commitment they made to Hayward and less about the quality of his performance.
Irving is dramatic and clearly an up and down personality. But that’s not the same thing as being a cancer on the team.
Not to mention, I’d bet Irving learned something from his time in Boston and that he won’t do the exact same things in Brooklyn… Assuming that’s where he goes.
Irving has a mercurial personality but you are absolutely correct. That’s not a cancer. He doesn’t know how to handle the media when they throw questions at him that might cause controversy. Either he says too much or gives a weird answer.
But listen to what this clown Rozier says with regards to his “sacrifice” in deferment to two guys that have, combined, 1 NBA title and 7 all-star appearances. Not to mention the financial commitments the team has made to both players (Irving and Hayward). Pay special attention right around 1:20 mark. Unbelievable he would say that on national TV. What the heck has he done to think that way????
link to youtube.com
I also place partial blame on Ainge for collecting talent but not building a team. Sometimes too much talent can be a problem. I also place blame on Stevens because, while he may be a great x’s and o’s coach, he clearly doesn’t know how to balance handling the star players and the supporting cast. Phil Jackson and Riley were experts at that.
KD never following him anywhere, so many better options he can pair with.
It’s the lowly Nets..hope him and Uncle Drew enjoy Brooklyn
uncle drew the gm, coach, and player is exactly the control he wants – celtic fans can breath easier
this HOV
Is Kyrie just the new Carmelo?
Pretty much. Shoot first, up and down effort levels, and a locker room drama waiting to happen.
Man the story lebron & kyrie could of had, had they put their own egos aside smh.
What exactly did LBJ do wrong? He was completely unaware that Kyrie was unhappy.
Everybody knew once Durant joined the warriors lebron was on his way out. Kyrie didn’t want to be left behind with the cavs team they had this season, so he decided to jump ship first.
That’s partly true. When LBJ left the first time he left the Cavs with a roster of vets designed to play around LBJ’s game. That happens anytime a franchise player departs. Happened to the Lakers when Kobe retired. Happened to Bulls when Jordan left. Kyrie knew that if LBJ the team would have veteran pieces and an over the salary cap team. So he did what he did. HOWEVER, to his credit (and this is coming from a Kyrie fan who was pissed that he left when he did), he NEVER caused a problem in the lockerroom. The fact that every single teammate that spoke on it said that they were “shocked” that he was unhappy kind of proves that. He never let his feelings get in the way of the team. Even if I disagree with his trade demands I can’t get mad at him because he didn’t let it effect the team at all.
And I don’t think Durant joining the Warriors had anything to do with it. In his mind I think it was Cavs or Lakers. I don’t think there was any other team on his mind. Also, once Durant was with the GSW you’re implying that he knew or thought that they couldn’t beat the GSW if they met in the Finals. So then why would he want to go to the WC when his chances would diminish even more?
theyd be 1-3 in the finals together instead of 1-2…..i guess thats a greater story
Kyrie is joining Harris in Brooklyn. Kyrie already has a championship, most superstars who have won titles just want to hoop and pile up accolades. Kyrie can grab a couple scoring titles and call it a career.
These are some of the dumbest takes on the Kyrie situation. The fact that Ainge wants to keep him shows that Kyrie likely wasn’t the problem. If given the choice of resigning Kyrie or moving Rozier and others I am 100% sure he would take Kyrie. So if the guy with his finger on the pulse of the situation indicates a willingness to bring Kyrie back, and perhaps trade assets to get AD then read the freakin’ tea leaves! I mean Rozier CLEARLY stated his reason for being unhappy. Either he’s extremely blunt or extremely stupid. Listen to the 2 interviews he did on ESPN. How can a Celtics fan possibly be happy with that attitude?
Does Ainge want to keep him, or is that just Ainge’s public stance (or your assumption?).
I’m speculating obviously, since we aren’t on speaking terms. Ainge has to be thinking of his legacy. He took the Celtics thru some tough times and collected assets with the purpose of building a team that could win multiple titles in the post-LBJ in EC era. He drafted Rozier, Tatum, Brown, etc. He had those guys in-house and THEN went out and signed Hayward as a FA and traded for Irving. So if you’re the GM and you trade assets and spend 1/4 of your cap on a FA then obviously you see those players as the studs that would take a young team to the Finals. He traded a beloved IT and 1st round pick which most thought for sure would be a #1 overall pick (this was before they changed the lottery draw). Knowing he could draft Ayton or Doncic he still went after Kyrie because he saw a 4 year window to win.
He drafted Rozier but clearly didn’t see him as a starting PG. He choose to play IT over him and traded IT to get Kyrie. The only time Rozier starts is when the starter is injured. In his 272 games Rozier has started only 30 games.
When you hear Rozier say PUBLICLY that he was upset because Irving and Hayward were getting starters time and said that HE was “sacrificing” his game then can you imagine what he must have been saying privately within the organization???
Of course Ainge prefers to keep Irving. I think he would trade Rozier and any other young player that he felt were more concerned with PT and how it effects their own agenda (contract extension). Ainge was a very good player coming out of college and he “sacrificed” his own agenda in support of playing with and winning with Bird, DJ, McHale and Parrish.
Kyrie had two of the best years of his career in terms of his shooting %, points and assists:
Cavs: 46%/38%/87% w/ 5.5 assists and 21 points
Celts: 49%/40%/88% w/ 6.1 assists and 24 points
The results obviously wasn’t what he wanted in 2019-20 but I bet he would love to run it back again this year with Irving, hopefully a 100% healthy Hayward with a more defined role and whomever they could bring in this off-season.
Anyone that assigns more blame to Kyrie and Hayward rather than Ainge, Stevens, Rozier and whatever other youngster that may have held animosity from lack of PT is looking at the obvious. I say Ainge bears some responsibility to because he may have had too much redundant talent, some of whom either didn’t know their role or didn’t embrace it. I say Stevens too because he’s a great x’s and o’s but clearly not enough respect from his players to get them to buy into the team concept. Kyrie was brought in to do what he does. He distributed the ball well enough *6 assists) and he shot the ball at a high %. You don’t bring in a Kobe and expect him to be a John Stockton. And you can’t make me think the team is better with Rozier, a career 38% shooter from the floor. Hanging on to what they did in the playoffs 2 years ago but ignoring his entire body of work is silly.
The only thing I would place blame on Kyrie for is how he handled questions of his free agency. The Celtics were one of the team he had on his preferred destinations and said he would be open to resigning with them. When asked about his future he said 100% he wanted to be a Celtic. That was the problem. He never should have said that. The chemistry turned later on and he sort of backed away from his previous statement. That caused a stir with the media. Kyrie gives awkward answers to the media all the time and that is the one area he needs to work on. His impending FA and the question as to whether he would stay or go caused media drama the same as it has for LBJ, Paul George and Durant. That’s not completely the fault of the player but a simple “no comment” or “I’m not thinking about it until the season is over” is ALWAYS the correct answer to give.
He is a me first CANCER
Me thinks Boston fans are the cancer, Kyrie had his best ever season & played better than I ever thought he could… the issue is that Boston has been years accumulating assets, young guys & so on… but the draft picks they got are pretty much useless & the young guys more the same. Rozier will never be a starting PG, JB is just a starting guy not an all-star & JT is got potential to be an all-star if he improves a lot, so they ain’t that good. Only good thing for Boston is Kyrie & Horford, the rest not so much!
Rozier gotta go! Me,me,me…
Kyrie will enjoy his penthouse in Newark.
Jaylen brown should not be starter…limited shooting.
Tatum should be kept.
Don’t fall for AD rental.