NBA Rumors: Will teams shy away from Kyrie Irving in free agency?

NBA Rumors: After somewhat of a disappointing showing in the playoffs, will that cause teams to shy away from possibly offering Kyrie Irving big money?

One of the biggest questions regarding this year’s offseason revolves around Kyrie Irving, who will become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.

Even though he announced his desire to re-sign with the Boston Celtics at the beginning of the season, the narrative has certainly changed in the last few months. From Kyrie simply stating that he’s going to do what’s best for his future to full-blown reports that he’s going to sign with the New York Knicks, there’s no question that his future is uncertain heading into the offseason.

What could perhaps be labeled as even more interesting is a recent report that suggests teams could be turned off by Kyrie’s recent performance in the playoffs.

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"[via Boston Herald]Based on the way things played out with the Celtics this season and Irving’s role both off the court all year and on it in the playoff loss to Milwaukee, certain clubs are concerned about putting too many eggs in his basket right away."

First things first, it should be noted that this is a report from the Boston Herald. There could be some agent working going on here, considering that Kyrie didn’t exactly have the best of performances in the postseason.

Looking back, Kyrie really struggled in the playoffs this season. Specifically, against the Milwaukee Bucks. Against the Bucks, Kyrie averaged 20 points on a porous 35 percent shooting from the field and 22 percent from 3-point range.

When the Celtics needed him most, Kyrie all but disappeared. Apparently, the rest of the league was watching intently. However, the big question is whether or not Kyrie willingly checked out in the middle of a series.

Kyrie clearly was a different player against the Bucks in Games 2-5. He shot poorly in each of them, and curiously only had one assist in the deciding Game 5. Up to that point in the series, Kyrie was averaging roughly eight per game.

If nothing else, his performance to close the series against the Bucks was a bit confusing. Though, I’m not sure it’s enough to question his fight or character. More than anything, this report could just be more smoke added to this summer’s free agency.

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Kyrie Irving is a talent that doesn’t come around every so often, and while he may be a flawed leader that shouldn’t be a deterrent. Especially for teams that are desperate for a franchise turnaround.

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