Kyrie Irving has recently expressed his dissatisfaction with his Celtics teammates. And though he has said he plans to re-sign with Boston, some fans in New York don't believe that will be the case.
Brooklyn fans, specifically.
Though Irving did not play in Monday's 109-102 loss to the Nets, a game in which the Celtics trailed by as many as 27 in the fourth quarter, Nets fans chanted "Kyrie's leaving!" as Boston's Daniel Theis readied for a free throw.
Nets fans toying with the Celtics: "Kyrie's leaving! 👏 👏 👏👏👏 Kyrie's leaving!" pic.twitter.com/74V8Uwej6e
- SNY (@SNYtv) January 15, 2019
Irving, who after Saturday's loss said his younger teammates "don't know what it takes to be a championship-level team," complimented his teammates' fourth-quarter effort in Monday's game. The Celtics outscored the Nets 36-19 in the frame.
But that hasn't stopped speculation around Irving. A West Orange, New Jersey, native, the 26-year-old Irving said he would have strongly considered signing with the Knicks in free agency.
Unfortunately for New York fans, that was before Irving said he made up his mind and said he planned to re-sign with Boston and "throw my name in Boston Celtics tradition."
Irving, who leads the Celtics with 22.7 points and 6.4 assists per game, has yet to officially sign a long-term contract with the Celtics.
Currently in the fourth year of a five-year, $94 million deal, he can opt out of his $21.3 million player option to become an unrestricted free agent. The max contract the Celtics can offer him would be a five-year, $188 million deal, which is approximately $60 million more than if he were to re-sign beforehand.
Of course, the Knicks could target several other players should Irving officially stay in Boston. After all, this summer's free-agent class will also feature Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler, among other players.