USA TODAY International Edition
Next step for Kyrie Irving
Zillgitt: NBA All-Star point guard fulfills dream
Free agency is not always about one thing, and not always about money.
We just saw players pass up millions of dollars to not play for another team.
Other factors are in play: Is there a city in which a player wants to live and work? Is there a coach for whom he wants to play? Or another player with whom he’d like to team up? Does winning matter above all else? Is there an opportunity to do something unique?
For the first time in his eight-season NBA career, Kyrie Irving picked the team for which he wants to play (Nets), joined a player (Kevin Durant) he wants to play alongside and selected a city (New York) in which he wants to live.
He had never had that opportunity before. Cleveland drafted him and then traded him to Boston, and when free agency hit, Irving finally had control of his destination.
“In my heart, I knew I always wanted to play at home,” Irving, who grew up outside of New York, said in an Instagram post. “Home is where my heart is. It’s always been there, simply because of such a great love that I have for my family and the way I grew. I wouldn’t change anything about this journey at all. It’s brought me back here, and that’s home. And home is where my family is. Home is where I want my legacy to continue. And I’m happy to be in Brooklyn.”
He recalled watching the 2003 Finals between the then-New Jersey Nets and Spurs and thinking he wanted to play for the Nets someday.
Irving has fulfilled a dream. Now what?
Irving said he wants to continue his legacy in Brooklyn.
What is his legacy?
And what will it become?
He is already an NBA champion (go look at his production in the 2016 Finals, including the clutch game-winning 3pointer), a six-time All-Star and a twotime All-NBA performer in a league loaded with outstanding guards. And Irving is just 27.
He is one of the best scoring point guards in the league, a creative and effective shotmaker and improved playmaker, averaging a career-high 6.9 assists for Boston last season.
There’s no denying what Irving can do on the court. He is a special talent.
It’s off the court or behind the scenes that have caused problems for Irving, who can be aloof. He can chafe teammates, frustrate an organization and alienate them or himself.
That played out in his final season with Cleveland in 2016-17 and with Boston last season.
Irving certainly is his own person and moves to his own songs. He needs to find a balance between being who he is and operating within the confines of a team atmosphere. He seems to want that.
Since this was his choice, Irving will be motivated to be the kind of leader his teammates need, and because he’ll be playing with his close friend Durant, Irving will need to maximize this opportunity with the Nets.
Irving might not feel pressure, but there will be scrutiny not only on his performance but his leadership. This is the situation Irving sought.
Will he be everything he wants to be? Will he be everything the Nets need him to be?
It will be interesting to watch. After all, there is a legacy Irving wants to enhance.