Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge does not seem terribly concerned that Kyrie Irving will go back on his word and leave the team this summer.
Ainge compared the situation between team and player to an “engagement” that can’t be made official until July 1.
“The way I viewed the situation is that I think a lot of people, because of Kyrie’s announcement at the beginning of the year, thought that it was a marriage,” Ainge told Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub on Friday, via ESPN. “And I think that it’s more like an engagement. And we’re going to get married on July 1st. I think that engagement is still on, as far as I know.
“In my individual conversations with Kyrie, we’re still engaged but we really can’t make those vows, sign that contract until July 1st.”
In other words, the Celtics have privately been given no reason to believe that Irving’s intentions have changed from the beginning of the year, when he publicly stated his intentions to re-sign. There was a bit of doubt about that after some of his more recent comments, but everyone close to Boston is, at least publicly, projecting confidence that there’s nothing to worry about.
