Boston Celtics unlock title window with Kyrie Irving commitment to re-sign

Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving committed to re-signing with the Celtics at a fan appreciation event hosted at the TD Garden. Irving’s commitment sets Boston up for a promising future and a window to compete for championships.

Do you, Kyrie Irving, take the Boston Celtics to be your lawfully-wedded employer, to have and to mold you, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for $188-million richer, for Horford, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till contract expiration do you part?

I do!

After hinting at a return to Boston on Media Day, Kyrie Irving delivered his vows to re-sign with the Boston Celtics at the annual Fan Fest event for season-ticket holders at the TD Garden Thursday evening.

The marriage, of course, cannot be officially entered into until free agency opens on July 1, 2019, if as wholly expected, Irving wants to sign the max deal he will become eligible for.

The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement allows Irving to earn up to 30 percent of the salary cap; with a projected salary cap of $109 million, that would be a contract starting at $32.7 million per year, with an 8 percent yearly increase.

If Al Horford picks up his player option for 2019-20, and the team exercises its no-brainer team options on players such as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics will almost certainly be capped out for the next few seasons. However, Celtics GM Danny Ainge will maintain a modicum of financial and roster flexibility as they’ll have bird rights on all their young stars-in-waiting and a plethora of draft picks to dangle in potential trades.

No matter the financial cost, Irving is worth paying it. The 6-foot-2 dribbling wizard is one of the most efficient high-usage scorers in the NBA and his new contract will begin when he’s at the age most point guards are entering their prime.

Kyrie Irving will turn 27 on March 23rd. Allen Iverson and Stephen Curry won their first MVPs at 27. In the last two season, James Harden and Russell Westbrook’s have earned MVP honors in their age-28 seasons.

According to Basketball Reference, since the NBA-ABA merger, Irving is one of 11 players in league history to have a season with a usage rate over 30 and true shooting percentage above 60. Only five other players have done so with an assist percentage as high as Irving’s: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Steph Curry, James Harden, and Isaiah Thomas–for the Celtics two season ago.

Last season, Irving ranked fifth in true shooting percentage among qualifying guards with a usage rate of at least 20 percent. Only Steph Curry, LeBron James, James Harden, and JJ Reddick shot better.

Not only is Irving a 40 percent three-point shooter on both catch-and-shoot and pull-up threes–which is like an NBA cheat code by itself–but he also is one of the most effective finishers and two-point scorers among all NBA guards, according to NBA.com shooting data.

Irving is the rare player who can efficiently score from all three levels (paint, mid-range, 3-point) even while carrying a heavy burden on offense. Without Gordon Hayward in the lineup, Irving was relied on to create more offense this season than he ever was before, and still managed the most efficient shooting numbers of his career.

Irving doesn’t yet have the knack or inclination to get his teammates involved like LeBron James or James Harden, and can get caught over-dribbling or settling for more difficult shots than he needs to take from time to time, but he’s a ruthless scoring machine who has room to elevate his game. He may never quite get there, but Irving has MVP-type potential.

In addition, Irving’s relative weaknesses are often offset due to Boston’s brilliant roster construction. Despite his defensive deficiencies, Boston built the No. 1 defense around him last season.

Irving may not be the best passing point guard, but he has Al Horford, one of the game’s best passing centers, and Hayward, a high-level facilitator, surrounding him. And the proof is in the pudding–Boston was 8.5 points better on offense per 100 possessions with Irving on the floor, per Cleaning The Glass.

Even if Irving taps out as a star and not a superstar, Boston can still count on the growth of both Brown and Tatum to elevate the the team to another level. With Irving and Hayward, born two years to the date before Irving, under contract through their primes, Boston would be able to compete with Golden State in the short term while preparing to take over the mantle of NBA’s best core if and when the Warriors break up.

Perhaps more importantly, Irving’s early public commitment will prevent so much media chatter and allow himself and the team to focus only on the task of winning a championship this season without an unknown future looming over the team as a potential fracturing point.

Celtics GM Danny Ainge has navigated this rebuild as well as any to sail across the dark and stormy waters of roster reconstruction. With Irving’s commitment, the organization has charted a course across the sea.

The offseason is over and the players will soon stand side-by-side on the deck of the TD Garden, riding the wave of Irving’s announcement, ready to pursue the opponent and conquer a championship. The Warriors await.