Boston Celtics beat writer Brian Robb of MassLive doesn’t believe Kyrie Irving has much value on the trade market following his February 3 trade request from the Brooklyn Nets — going as far as to claim Irving is no longer a star.
Irving sat out the Nets’ 125-123 victory against the Washington Wizards on February 4, indicating he is likely done in Kings County. Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Dallas Mavericks all figure to be in on the 30-year-old.
Not only is Irving catching strays from family members of former Cs teammates, but he is now being questioned by the Boston media to the point where his status as one of the league’s stars is in doubt in the same year he is an All-Star starter:
"“The NBA is a star’s league but Irving has no longer earned the benefit of the doubt in that role. Maybe some team can convince him to play out his deal for them with promises of another if he delivers but that’s the only way making the move for the All-Star makes sense for a team right now. Otherwise, his baggage and track record simply isn’t worth the risk.”"
Kyrie Irving will go down in Boston Celtics infamy
While what went down with Kyrie and the Nets organization will never be looked back at in a positive light retrospectively, it will likely never compare with the fallout from his Boston Celtics exit. In his Cs tenure, Irving messed with basketball royalty and he’s been doing so in the years since, establishing himself as public enemy to the entire city of Boston. His pull got Jaylen Brown removed from the starting lineup and his high volume shot-taking presence precluded Jayson Tatum’s eventual rise.
Now that Irving has left another franchise and left another path of destruction in his wake in NYC, everyone now understands what having the mercurial guard as a top option entails. No matter where he ends up, though, his relationship with Boston will always be uniquely polarized on both ends.