On an appearance on Boston Sports Tonight, Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer said that Kyrie is most likely to stay with the Celtics. That said, he could be influenced by where KD goes. KD's mooted move to NY has apparently felt less certain, as he will consider the Clippers and the Nets as well.
I think what's going to happen has been pretty consistent all along. (Kyrie Irving is) most likely to stay with the Boston Celtics. They're going to be in the running for Anthony Davis. But he's also going to weigh his other options.
And I think the other factor to consider though is the fact that Kevin Durant -- in at least recent weeks maybe about the past month -- the noise about him going to the Knicks has felt less certain. He also is going to consider the Knicks still, but I wouldn't rule out the Clippers or the Nets for that matter. And that has also been reported by other outlets as well.
I think with KD perhaps being a little less likely to go to the Knicks, that also applies to Kyrie. Because that was the appeal, them joining forces.
https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/kevin-oconnor-kyrie-irving-most-likely-stay-celtics-could-be-influenced-durant
Note that I don't know if this is his opinion, or an educated guess based on something he knows.
I was thinking about this when I was reading the end of the game thread last night, about what would happen if we lost in the 2nd round and Kyrie bailed. Someone was saying we would be a 41-win team if that happened. While I would absolutely love Kyrie to stay and try to win a title here long term, I don't want anyone here who doesn't want to be a Boston Celtic and if he feels he has a better chance at a title elsewhere, then good luck to him. I don't think that's the end of the road for us though. We still have the team that made the ECF last season plus a healthier Gordon Hayward. We would free up some money to sign someone else.
What we wouldn't have though, is a clear hierarchy. You would think it would be Gordon, but he doesn't really play like he's an alpha on this team, I don't know if not having Kyrie would change that (or if the others respect him enough to defer to him, losing his first season while they all excelled really put paid to that). He obviously joined our team knowing that (at the time) he would be the No2 behind IT. Who becomes our alpha if Kyrie leaves? Al isn't really an alpha either. It would probably be Jayson, who would not be 22 yet? I think the lack of a pecking order might become a problem.