The 2022-23 NBA season isn’t even over yet, but some observers already are offering wild speculation as to where Kyrie Irving will play next season.
He spent 3 1/2 seasons with the Nets before requesting a trade that landed him with the Mavericks. In Dallas, Irving joined forces with Luka Dončić, but the Mavericks stumbled down the stretch and ultimately missed the playoffs.
Now, Irving is set to become a free agent, and pundits are connecting all kinds of dots as to predict where he might play next season.
Could Irving stay in Dallas for the long term? Could he end up alongside LeBron James with the Lakers, who explored acquiring him earlier this year?
One thing is clear. Irving is already tired of the speculation.
“I’m a free agent this summer, but I’m in no rush to make a decision,” Irving said Wednesday on Instagram Live. “When [media figures] speak on my name and they’re talking about potential teams that I’m going to, can y’all please, respectfully, please stop paying attention to that?”
Kyrie Irving on free agency: “Stop mentioning me on Twitter. All y’all fan bases. It is still the…Conference Finals…Can you please leave me the f**k out of this…Y’all got people at my dinner table discussing what my free agency plans are 😂…I see all y’all mentions, I said… pic.twitter.com/PRzxIjWDtX
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 24, 2023
Later in the Instagram Live session, Irving asked fans themselves to pump the brakes on the speculation as well.
“The last thing I’m gonna say before I say I love y’all is stop mentioning me on Twitter!” Irving said. “All y’all fan bases, stop mentioning me right now, please. It is still the [conference finals]. Can y’all please leave me the f— out of this?
“Please, can I just be with my family in peace? Y’all got people at my dinner table discussing what my free agency plans are. Stop that!” Irving said with a laugh.
The mercurial superstar is expected be one of the top free agents available this summer. He will have suitors, but it remains to be seen where he will end up.
