Kyrie Irving just gave Knicks the hope they were waiting for

#KristapsPorzingis #Knicks #NBA #FreeAgent

Sitting in a chair across from the Knicks bench at the Garden on Friday morning, Kyrie Irving tossed a can of gasoline on the fire surrounding his future.

Nearly four months after he told thousands of fans in Boston he planned on re-signing with the Celtics this summer, Irving left the door wide open for a change of heart.

“Ask me July 1,” Irving said, when asked if his mindset had shifted since his October proclamation. “I’m just going to do what’s best for me.”

Of course, Irving was saying this in the arena that New Yorkers have long hoped would be his future home. Those feelings only intensified Thursday, when the Knicks pulled off a blockbuster Kristaps Porzingis trade that opened up room for two max-contract free agents to sign here this summer.

So, about that commitment to Boston?

“I spent the last eight years trying to do what everybody else wanted me to do in terms of making my decisions and trying to validate through the media, through other personnel, managers, anybody in this business,” Irving said. “And I don’t owe anybody s–t.”

Irving had sat out the last two games with a hip injury, but has been cleared to play Friday night against the Knicks. The New Jersey product figures to be in for a raucous night at the Garden, where Knicks fans may roll out the red carpet for a homecoming prematurely.

“I respect the Knicks organization,” Irving said. “Obviously they’re making moves to position themselves for this upcoming summer. I wish them the best.”

As for his October promise to Boston fans, Irving said it was “just the excitement, feeling emotionally invested” to begin a new season after coming back from a knee injury that sidelined him for the Celtics’ playoff run last season. This season has not gone as planned for the Celtics, stuck in fifth place in the Eastern Conference while they try to find their groove, and Irving has not been afraid to share his frustration.

Irving indicated the Celtics remain in the driver’s seat for his future, however uncertain it might be.

“I still have confidence in Boston and what they can promise for the future and what we have in terms of pieces,” he said. “That’s what excited me a lot about the beginning of the season, was the opportunity to come into this season really just doing what we planned on doing.

“Set a goal and go after it and then see what happens at the end of the season. That was the plan before and that’s still the plan now. Obviously Boston’s still at the head of that race. That’s just where it stands.”

By Greg Joyce February 1, 2019