Celtics Believe Kyrie Irving Wants Long-Term Stay In Boston

The Boston Celtics are reportedly confident Kyrie Irving wants to remain with the team in the long-term despite the point guard stating he was not keen on signing a new deal at the moment.

Irving joined the Celtics from the Cleveland Cavaliers prior to the start of the 2017-18 season and made an instant impact as he helped them finish as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. He suffered an injury in the latter stages of the regular season that saw him miss his team’s run to the conference finals.

The point guard signed a two-year deal when he joined the Celtics and he will be in the final-year once next season starts and there are number of questions already being raised about his future. And Irving caused a stir when he revealed he does not intend to sign a new deal at the moment as he was keen to wait until next season to make a decision on his future.

According to the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, the Celtics are not overly concerned as they believe Irving to remain at the TD Garden for the foreseeable future. It remains to be seen when and if he signs a new contract, after he stated his focus was currently on recovering from his injury and going on a championship run next season.

“Irving created a bit of a stir this week when he declined to state his desire to re-sign with the Celtics after next season,” Himmelsbach wrote, as quoted on NESN. “A league source said Friday that the Celtics believe Irving is happy in Boston and would like to be with the team long-term, but that there are no certainties.”

Irving is currently sidelined owing to a knee injury that ended his season early. He underwent surgery and is expected to return for the start of the new season.

The point guard further hinted at his commitment to the Celtics when he praised coach Brad Stevens as one of the best in the league. Irving was explaining how talking to Stevens about basketball was like a “breath of fresh air.”

“Brad is one of the most adaptable coaches I’ve ever been around,” Irving said while on the “Ben Simmons Podcast,” as quoted on NESN. “He’s highly intelligent about the game, about life. Talking to him is always awesome. I just had dinner with him the other night. … Talking basketball with him, it’s such a relief to have a basketball mind like that who has an appreciation for the game.”

“He doesn’t forget plays, knows when the shift in the game happens. We were going over things that could have been done differently this season, and it was a breath of fresh air talking to him.”