Heres what Kyrie told Ainge

[CelticsElite]

I dont know if this had been posted but seems like important and interesting details:

Danny Ainge began to believe Kyrie Irving was prepared to leave the Boston Celtics for the Brooklyn Nets as soon as March.

“He did express to me on a couple of occasions between March and the end of (the year) that he really wanted to go home,” Ainge said. “I got the impression at that point that he wanted to play in Brooklyn more than he wanted to play in New York.”

Ainge later called back the radio station to clarify what he meant.

“I did not say he said he was gone in March,” Ainge said. “He said the possibility of being gone was there, not that he was going to leave. There was still a strong possibility of him staying in Boston."

Ainge also said he asked Irving directly if he would still consider re-signing with the Celtics.

“I asked him point-blank in the conversations I had with him, would you consider coming back to Boston? And he was always yes, he was always in that frame of mind. I don’t think he was out the door for sure by then. I think he was contemplating all his options. But I do think he preferred Brooklyn over New York in that moment, to me.”


https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/nets/ny-danny-ainge-kyrie-irving-nets-knicks-march-20190718-dtux4bma2zenfe2d5c2i3dz4he-story.html

[Fierce1]

This coming season, Kyrie will regret leaving Boston.

If and when Boston reaches the east finals again, Kyrie will be "flat-earthed!"

[gpap]

Kyrie saying "ask me July 1st" about free agency should've been a tell-tale sign he was gone. This was a week before the trade deadline.

I know it's partially hindsight, but if I was a GM and heard my player say that, I would've considered moving him immediately and then gone after Anthony Davis (Rose rule.)

Celts may have even gone further in the playoffs. All in the past now, though.

[indeedproceed]

Kyrie saying "ask me July 1st" about free agency should've been a tell-tale sign he was gone. This was a week before the trade deadline.

I really disagree here. People had been asking him about it all year. In hindsight sure, you can use it as  a sign he was out the door, but I don't think Kyrie would've said even at his most honest and transparent that it meant he was gone.

[NKY fan]

Ainge knew he was gone. The problem is he realized that after the trade deadline.... i guess with Kemba coming in it doesn’t really matter but our chances in the playoffs were compromised...
Game one against the bucks showed what we could have done had everyone been on the same page ....
So I think all three :
Ainge , Stevens plus KI are to blame...
I can understand rozier acting the way he was (still not great) but it’s his career earnings was on the line...

[jambr380]

Kyrie saying "ask me July 1st" about free agency should've been a tell-tale sign he was gone. This was a week before the trade deadline.

I know it's partially hindsight, but if I was a GM and heard my player say that, I would've considered moving him immediately and then gone after Anthony Davis (Rose rule.)

Celts may have even gone further in the playoffs. All in the past now, though.

Yep, this would have been a very Ainge-like move. Move Kyrie before he leaves while giving himself two postseasons with AD.

I am not totally bummed with the way things worked out: Kemba for Kyrie, Kanter for Al, and Morris/Rozier departures opening the door for our current young players; but going nuclear at the deadline would have been been bold to say the least.

[Moranis]

Kyrie saying "ask me July 1st" about free agency should've been a tell-tale sign he was gone. This was a week before the trade deadline.

I really disagree here. People had been asking him about it all year. In hindsight sure, you can use it as  a sign he was out the door, but I don't think Kyrie would've said even at his most honest and transparent that it meant he was gone.

There was a rather large thread on that on this board.  It was about 50/50 on what it meant.  So it wasn't exactly hindsight as plenty on this board thought the way he said it meant there was at a minimum a very real possibility he was going to leave.

[indeedproceed]

Kyrie saying "ask me July 1st" about free agency should've been a tell-tale sign he was gone. This was a week before the trade deadline.

I really disagree here. People had been asking him about it all year. In hindsight sure, you can use it as  a sign he was out the door, but I don't think Kyrie would've said even at his most honest and transparent that it meant he was gone.

There was a rather large thread on that on this board.  It was about 50/50 on what it meant.  So it wasn't exactly hindsight as plenty on this board thought the way he said it meant there was at a minimum a very real possibility he was going to leave.

Yeah, a possibility. That's different than "his mind is clearly made up"

[Somebody]

I don't think it was wrong to keep Kyrie for the rest of the season, but I was bummed that Ainge didn't explore the possibility of trading Kyrie to the Clippers when they asked for a price. A package of SGA+Harrell/Gallo+picks would've been very interesting for us.