Kyrie Irving announced his long-term commitment to the Boston Celtics at a fan event at TD Garden on Thursday. This comes less than two weeks before the start of the last season he’s under contract with the team.
Kyrie Irving announced his long-term commitment to the Celtics. Why now and when will it be official?
Boston fans got a pleasant surprise at an event two weeks before the start of the season.
“If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing next year,” Irving said to a roar of applause.
According to the Athletic’s Shams Charania, Irving has been in talks with Boston’s front office, and has verbally committed to the franchise long-term.
Why did Irving announce this now?
Nothing is official yet, and this commitment isn’t binding, which makes the message feel premature. The Mavericks and the DeAndre Jordan are familiar with that concept. But Irving knows the weight of his words, and this promise will almost definitely be kept.
Irving likely made the statement so early to clear up in-season controversy over his plans for the future. His name has been linked to the Knicks andNets among other teams who will have open cap space in the summer of 2019, and chances are that he wanted to quiet that noise before the season gets rolling.
With a Jimmy Butler trade inevitable, fans speculated the two friends may strategize to co-star somewhere else next year too. But those rumors can also be put to bed.
When will Irving officially sign a new deal with the Celtics?
Irving is unlikely to make this deal official until next summer for purely financial reasons. He can make a lot more money (nearly $80 million) if he waits to sign a fresh deal using Bird Rights rather than signing an extension during the season.
Still, this is good news for Celtics fans. One of the league’s best point guards is here to stay.
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