We’re still over a month away from the NBA offseason, but the winner of the Kyrie Irving sweepstakes might already be determined. Irving is eligible to opt out of his contract with the Boston Celtics this summer and become a free agent. Chatter circulated over the weekend that Irving could head out west, as the star point guard reportedly “has had discussions” about reuniting with LeBron James and joining the Los Angeles Lakers. But according to Stephen A. Smith, there’s no truth to that rumor. In fact, there’s “no way in hell” Irving dons a Purple and Gold uniform next season, as Smith reported during Monday’s edition of ESPN’s “First Take.” Irving’s true impending destination, per Smith, is the one most have expected all along: the New York Knicks. Irving joining the Knicks would make sense for a few reasons. For someone who has dabbled in the entertainment world, Irving, a West Orange, N.J., native, would have no shortage of potential business opportunities in the Big Apple. Not to mention, New York has strong odds of obtaining the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, which very well could convey into Zion Williamson. With the Lakers reportedly out of the picture, it seems as though Irving’s decision will come down to the Celtics and Knicks. And given how the 2018-19 campaign panned out, Irving probably isn’t very inclined to remain in Boston. Thumbnail photo via Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports Images<doc-sep>Kyrie Irving's future with the Boston Celtics has come under the spotlight after their elimination from the playoffs and many expect the point guard to leave when he enters free agency in the summer with New York Knicks being touted as his next destination. But talks about Irving joining LeBron James in Los Angeles with the Lakers gathered pace over the weekend. The Celtics point guard spent three seasons with James in Cleveland and even won the 2016 NBA championship but decided to leave one season later with the intention of getting out from under James’ shadow. He became the de-facto leader in Boston, but his two seasons have not gone as planned and now ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes he is open to the idea of a reunion with his former teammate. The NBA insider says that Irving has held discussions about a potential move to Lakers in the summer, especially since the Los Angeles franchise appointed Brooklyn Nets legend Jason Kidd as new head coach Frank Vogel’s top assistant. However, fellow ESPN NBA insider Stephen A Smith has doused the flames on any potential move to the Lakers for Irving by citing a source close to the point guard’s family. He claims via his source that there is “no way in hell” Irving will go to Los Angeles and team up again with James. Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images "From what I'm told, it's not going to happen," Smith said on Monday’s episode of “First Take”, as quoted on Yahoo Sports. "I got a text message from folks close to Kyrie's family, within the hour, as we were teasing this subject. Quote: 'There is no way in hell he's going to LA. I don't give a damn what anybody says, knock that down for us right now please. He ain't going to LA.' That's what they say.” Smith is certain that Irving will leave the Celtics when he enters free agency in the summer and believes his next destination will be the Madison Square Garden to play for the Knicks. According to the NBA insider’s multiple sources, he is expected to team up with Kevin Durant and move to New York ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. "From everything that I've been hearing over the last few days, Kyrie Irving is heading to New York City," Smith added. "Kyrie Irving is heading to Madison Square Garden with Kevin Durant. People in his inner circle are trying to bring the Nets into the mix, but clearly New York is the destination. The likelihood is it will be MSG." Moreover, Smith also claimed that Knicks owner James Dolan has informed the players that he is ready to offer “whatever” the duo want in order to get them to commit their long-term futures to the Knicks. Irving has made it clear he will reveal his decision on July 1, while Durant is currently sidelined by injury and focusing on returning at the earliest to help the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals.<doc-sep>Brian Windhorst and Jackie MacMullan separately suggested there is a possibility of Kyrie Irving signing with the Los Angeles Lakers to reunite with LeBron James. Irving requested a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017 at least in part because he no longer wanted to play with James. "As time passes here, I would have said this was impossible for many months," said Brian Windhorst. "But as time passes here and the possibility exists that Jason Kidd could be hired as the Lakers' coach, I think the possibility of Kyrie and LeBron reuniting is.. you know that door which was deadbolted has been un-deadbolted and is now cracked open. "Definitely, no question. No question about that," replied Jackie MacMullan. "Might even be opening more by the day. I just think it's on Kyrie's radar. It's on Kyrie's board. He has had discussions with people about playing for the Lakers. But as you said it's pretty difficult to read him. "I asked him point-blank, Brian. I asked him this very question," said MacMullan. "I said, 'you know what everybody's saying, Kyrie, they're saying now you're going to go back with LeBron'. "And he looked at me and he laughed. I said 'Is that a yes or a no?' "And he laughed again and he put his arm around me and then he left. So determine that what you may. That was three weeks ago. Three or four weeks ago. So everything is in play with him right now." Irving has also been linked with the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, while re-signing with the Boston Celtics remains a distinct possibility as well.<doc-sep>MILWAUKEE, WI - MAY 8: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics shoots a free-throw against the Milwaukee Bucks during Game Five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 8, 2019 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) After a disappointing season with the Celtics, much has been made of pending free agent Kyrie Irving joining the New York Knicks. However, they should be cautious of signing Irving unless Kevin Durant demands it. When Kyrie Irving was traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics in the 2017-18 offseason, it looked like he would have his own team and be able to create something of his own. He joined a team fresh off an Eastern Conference berth that also added Gordon Hayward and Jayson Tatum that summer. Irving was supposed to be the man that took them to the next level and delivered banner number 18 for the green, something that has eluded the New York Knicks for nearly 50 years. However, his first season with the team ended abruptly as he needed surgery on his left knee caused by an infection from his patellar fracture in the 2015 NBA finals. Boston had lost both Kyrie and Hayward that season and still managed to take LeBron James and the Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Headlined by the stellar play of backup point guard Terry Rozier and rookie Tatum, Boston had a coherent group and identity which allowed them to make a deep run even without their leader in Irving. Their playoff run sparked the rising sentiment that Boston was better off without Iring, and that next season will tell it all. Indeed it did. Boston had a rollercoaster of a season despite remaining relatively healthy. Kyrie had his clashes with the media, the team struggled to adapt to having both Kyrie and Hayward, fans grew restless, and team chemistry was close to zero. Things looked up for Boston in the playoffs, however, with their 4-0 sweep of the Indiana Pacers in Round 1. It looked like the playoffs was just what this team needed to get over the hump, but their playoff fairytale was in for a challenge. Boston blew out the first seeded Milwaukee Bucks 112-90 in Game 1 behind Kyrie’s 26 points and 11 assists. The games that ensued were another story as Boston lost the series by dropping the next four games pretty single-handedly. Irving shot a staggering 30 percent from the field, 19 percent from three, and totaled a combined 14 turnovers in those games. His body language in Game 5 with his team on the brink of elimination, suggested that he already had one foot out of the door and knew it would be his last game as a Celtic. He left to the locker room before the game ended and was hazy about his future when pressed by the media. Following Game 5, Ian Begley of SNY reported that Kyrie Irving would strongly consider joining the New York Knicks this summer in free agency. Having grown up in West Orange, New Jersey and attending St. Patrick’s High School in Elizabeth, New York is close to home for Kyrie and playing as Knick would offer the opportunity to be the hometown hero that restored the franchise to glory. When Irving requested a trade from the Cavaliers, New York was one of the teams who were on his list of preferred destinations for those very reasons. From earlier: If Kyrie Irving decides to leave Boston, the Knicks will get strong consideration from the point guard in free agency. Free agent PG Kemba Walker also has fans in the NYK organization: https://t.co/OAF6rOEx0l — Ian Begley (@IanBegley) May 9, 2019 In this situation, the Knicks do not have to mortgage assets for Kyrie, as he is an impending free agent this offseason and the Knicks have enough cap space for two max slots. According to Begley, the team’s two top targets are Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard, but that does not mean they will not go hard for Irving. Durant and Irving are close friends and shared many intimate moments during All-Star Weekend, giving light to a potential scenario where those two team up together in New York. If Kevin Durant makes it a demand that the Knicks must sign Kyrie Irving, they should do so without question. However, if Durant does not specify Irving as a deal-breaker in his commitment, the Knicks should be cautious of signing him. Irving is in the prime of his career from an age perspective at 27 years old, but his extensive injury history gives reason to pause. He has only played 70 games in a season three times and has never played more than 75. Irving will demand a four-year max contract despite enduring multiple season-ending injuries and surgeries on his knees. At his age and undergoing these injuries, it is hard to believe that injuries will not continue to plague him as he gets older. Irving is one of the quickest and most dynamic players in the league, and his craftiness around the rim is dependent on his athleticism. With all the knee injuries he has encountered throughout his career, it brings about a scary situation on what will happen when his knees fail him. We have seen knee injuries derail many promising NBA careers, and those with consistent knee problems have seen their careers sidelined earlier than expected. The Knicks should be hesitant of locking themselves into four years of paying max money to a player who has suffered the extent of injuries Kyrie has. Irving’s struggles with the Celtics and their young group of players also give a reason for the Knicks to be skeptical of his fit.<doc-sep>
Jae C. Hong/Associated Press The dream of a LeBron James-Kyrie Irving reunion in Los Angeles is apparently not happening. "From what I'm told, it's not going to happen. I got a text message from folks close to Kyrie's family, within the hour, as we were teasing this subject. Quote: 'There is no way in Hell he's going to LA. I don't give a damn what anybody says, knock that down for us right now please. He ain't going to LA.' That's what they say," Stephen A. Smith relayed Monday on First Take. "From everything that I've been hearing over the last few days, Kyrie Irving is heading to New York City. Kyrie Irving is heading to Madison Square Garden with Kevin Durant. People in his inner circle are trying to bring the Nets into the mix, but clearly New York is the destination." ESPN's Brian Windhorst previously said it's become a possibility that James and Irving team up with the Lakers. "I would've said that this is impossible for many months," Windhorst said on ESPN radio. "But as time passes here and, as the possibility exists that Jason Kidd could be hired as the Lakers coach, I think the possibility of Kyrie and LeBron reuniting—that door, which was deadbolted, has been un-deadbolted and has now been cracked open," he said. "It might even be opening more by the day. And I say that just because I think it's on Kyrie’s radar, it's on Kyrie's board. He has had discussions with people about playing for the Lakers." While the fracture between James and Irving appears to have healed, it was always a little farfetched to think Irving would sign in Los Angeles. That would essentially be a full mea culpa for his trade request from the Cleveland Cavaliers, a full admission that he was wrong to get out of James' shadow. Video Play Button Videos you might like Irving's a self-reflecting sort, but that move would take a massive swallowing of pride whereas teaming with Kevin Durant wouldn't affect the ego and makes a ton of sense. The two are close friends off the court, have a major market waiting with open arms and could add a third star via trade this summer. The Knicks are in a position to theoretically sign Durant and Irving, then trade for another All-Star like Anthony Davis or Bradley Beal. The Lakers would probably be better served focusing their attention on Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker and Jimmy Butler, who are all more viable options. Leonard, in particular, would be a major coup, especially after his ascent to basketball royalty in Toronto this season. Irving and James are probably better off being the couple that remains friendly after the divorce than the one that walks down the aisle for a second time.