NBA Rumors: Celtics Will Not Let Irving Walk Out Of Boston Easily

Kyrie Irving will reportedly opt out of the final year of his contract, raising speculations that he will be donning a new NBA uniform next season. Several teams have already been mentioned such as the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks and something could go down in the coming weeks. But before that, the Boston Celtics plan to discuss Uncle Drew's future before hitting the open market.

According to The Athletic, the Celtics and Irving will reportedly meet before the 2019 NBA Draft. The report further stated that the meeting aims to look for clarity ahead of the start of free agency on June 30. And while it was not mentioned, it could be technically a last-ditch effort by Danny Ainge and company to see if they can sway Irving to reconsider Boston even if his stay did not go smoothly the past years.

Aside from the Nets and the Knicks, another team that has been linked to Irving is the Los Angeles Lakers. With Anthony Davis now in the roster alongside LeBron James, the interest of Irving before could have changed dramatically. Further, the fact that the Lakers now need a point guard to tandem with Davis and James makes the 27-year-old a perfect fit to orchestrate plays for the purple and gold, SNY reported.

Either way, these are the questions that the Celtics want to iron out. If Irving is as good as gone, Boston will likely divert its focus to the 2019 NBA Draft. They own three first round picks (14th, 20th, and 22nd) and could use those to add a guard to their rotation. One name that Masslive.com suggested was Kevin Porter Jr. of USC, a combo-guard with All-Star potential.

Of course, Boston also has guards on their end such as Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, and R.J. Hunter. Rozier had previously said that he had issues with ball sharing with Irving and Gordon Hayward although that could all change if the top pick of the 2011 NBA Draft opts to move to a new team, NBC Sports reported. Lastly, there is NBA free agency to think about for Danny Ainge and company where a lot of talented guards will be available. That could include D'Angelo Russell of the Brooklyn Nets - ironically someone who could be misplaced if Kenny Atkinson and company successfully lures him to their fold.