Irving just wanted to go home.
Kyrie Irving was clearly unhappy in Cleveland when he asked for a trade back in 2017. He ended up going to the Boston Celtics where fans loved him for his clutch shooting and wide skillset. Unfortunately, it quickly became evident that he wasn’t happy there either and this fseason, he went to the Brooklyn Nets, which is closer to where he grew up.
In a recent interview with Ricky Doyle NESN, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge opened about Irving’s departure and what he said during the team’s exit interviews. As Ainge explained, Irving was quite respectful and was fairly upfront about his intentions.
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“Kyrie, he didn’t slam the door on a potential return, but he did let me know that he would prefer to go home,” Ainge said. “Those were the words that he used and so we for sure had an inkling, but he didn’t slam the door on the possibility returning to Boston.”
The Celtics weren’t too hard-pressed to find a replacement for Irving as they were able to pick up Kemba Walker in free agency. So far, Walker has been pretty good for the Celtics and they have started the season with a record 3-1. Meanwhile, the Nets have had a much weaker start at 3-1.