Getty Al Horford, Boston Celtics
On Friday, February 3, Boston Celtics fans were counting their lucky stars that they no longer had to deal with Kyrie Irving, as news broke regarding his trade request from the Brooklyn Nets.
Shortly after those reports began to surface, Anna Horford – Al Horford’s sister – released a picture of Irving from when he was with the Celtics, and more specifically from the day he committed his future to the franchise during a pre-season season ticket holders event.
Horford’s Tweet garnered 23.4 thousand likes and has currently made over 1.4 million impressions, as she reminded everybody of the time Irving pulled the wool over Celtics fans’ eyes before eventually leaving the franchise the following summer to join the Nets.
Still, Irving’s decision to ask out of Brooklyn has been a welcome jolt to the trade activity for NBA fans as the league crawled toward the February 9 trade deadline with little action in what is usually one of the busiest periods of their calendar year.
Kyrie Irving Discussed Desire to Overtake Celtics
Following the Celtics’ February 1 victory over the Nets, Kyrie Irving discussed his desire to figure out Boston’s current stellar form and help Brooklyn reach similar heights.
“It’s only been a year and some change. I mean, you know, it’s not that long. It feels like that long because we haven’t had consistent guys in lineup playing against one another. So, we haven’t seen fully healthy Boston Celtics versus the Brooklyn Nets this year. Obviously, with last year, we could throw any excuse in the bucket, but I choose not to do that. We just take accountability for where we are in present, and focus on what we can control now.
[The] past is [the] past, so we just gotta keep reworking it. As a competitor, I’m not going to stop until I figure out what this methodology is to the Boston Celtics right now and why they’re so hot. And I think I have a main reason which is how connected they are and how much they’ve played together, how many minutes they’ve logged in together. And again, that chip on their shoulder. You can see it. You can feel it. And I think we just have to develop a tougher mentality here, and when we do that, I feel like we’ll be in better competition with them. I know we will,” Irving said.
Unfortunately for Brooklyn fans, they’re unlikely to get the chance to see their team reach Boston’s current heights, or at least with Kyrie Irving as part of the rotation.
Celtics Could Fall Short in Attempt to Reunite With Olynyk
Kyrie Irving isn’t the only former Celtics player who could be changing teams before the trade deadline closes, as Boston has recently been linked to a potential move to reunite with former big man Kelly Olynyk.
However, according to a source who spoke with Heavy On Sports Steve Bulpett, there is little chance the Olynyk returns to Boston this season, as the team will be hard-pressed to meet the Utah Jazz’s asking price.
League sources to @HeavyOnSports: Heat, Celtics interested in reuniting with Kelly Olynyk ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
Why he makes more sense for them than Jakob Poeltl. … And why the Celtics are looking for a big man rather than a wing.
“I don’t think Boston really has anything to trade that they’d actually want to give up — or what they’d need to give up for Olynyk — and I don’t think Poeltl fits there. They can’t trade this year’s (first round) pick. They can trade a down-the-road first, but I don’t see that right now.
I’m not sure Utah or San Antonio has much real interest in Pritchard, and forget about Grant (Williams), because the purpose of getting another big is to get someone after Grant. He’s their third big right now, and they’re looking for a fourth or fifth big, not necessarily a third big. They at least need a fourth one. (Luke) Kornet’s helped them when guys have been out, but I think they want to have more options in the playoffs,” The source said.
Boston currently sits atop the Eastern Conference, so while upgrading their bench would certainly be beneficial, the Celtics will not feel under pressure to make a move that could potentially remove some of their current depth.