NBA Rumors: There’s No Way Kyrie Irving To New York Knicks Works In 2019
The NBA season is officially over as the Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals. But now we can start the 2018-19 season with NBA Rumors. One of the biggest to come down the pipeline is Kyrie Irving to the New York Knicks in 2019. Not gonna happen.
The reason for this is, the Celtics will not let their best player go. The other reason is, the Knicks will not be able to afford Irving. On paper, it makes a lot of sense but when looking at the numbers, James Dolan is not that kind of guy. For starters, the Knicks must resign Enes Kanter this season. He’s surely set to hit the max contract type of money this offseason. Secondly, they must save a huge chunk of their cap space in 2019 for Kristaps Porzingis who is also set to become a free agent.
Let’s say the Knicks gave this some heavy thought. How would this work? Much like the Golden State Warriors, Dolan will have to shell out at least $80+ million just for three players. Thomas is no longer in the front office so I can’t see this happening. Dolan is a tight-pocketed guy and paying two-injury prone players (Irving, Porzingis) that type of money, is not in his plans.
Kyrie Irving To The New York Knicks Will Not Happen
But still, there’s no way Danny Ainge will let Kyrie Irving out the door without offering him the world. Now, Terry Rozier played well in his absence but he faltered against the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals. If Irving was in the lineup, there’s no doubt the Celtics would have made it to the Finals. If Irving comes back full strength next season and continues at the pace he was before his injury, why would he want to leave possibly the best team in the East for a Knicks squad still searching for an identity?
What will the New York Knicks do this offseason that will make Irving think twice about leaving Boston for them? What if Kanter opts out? That will leave just a hobbled Porzingis, Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway, and a slew of no-name guys fighting to keep themselves out the basement again. How enticing is that? Yes, Irving can make a ton of money in the marketing world and gain recognition as the MSG Savior but he wants to win. The Knicks can’t offer that. And truth be told, there’s no real indication that Porzingis will resign with the team.
As stated earlier, it looks good on paper and gossip boards but the New York Knicks and Kyrie Irving are not a great fit.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
