The New York Knicks are always mentioned in rumors about big-name free agents and players in the league and now every big name that hits the Cleveland Cavaliers will be rumored to be leaving the team after LeBron James did and that is why there are some crazy rumors going around about Kyrie Irving, who won't be a free agent for years.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Irving, who won't be a free agent until 2016 if he even becomes one, could be a target for the New York Knicks, as the New York Daily News Eye On Basketball blog speculates that Irving could come back home as he is from New Jersey. The report says that he has wanted to come back to his home area and the Knicks and while it won't be able to happen for a few years as a free agent since his contract isn't up until 2016, chances are the Cavs will not let it get that far.
The team has already said that they want to keep Irving for the rest of his career and while the star point guard has been diplomatic, the real test will be his extension. Irving will be eligible to sign a max contract extension with the Cavaliers and they likely will give it to him next summer and that would come before his contract is up before that summer. Sure, the Knicks would love to sign Irving to a deal, but that likely isn't a realistic option as the Cavaliers will do all they can to make sure he never actually hits the market.
LeBron James once signed an extension as well, but he opted out of that deal to become a free agent and we all know how that turned out. The reason the Knicks likely aren't going to be able to sign him even with the money they spend is all that time between his possible contract extension and his free agency, as that means leaving tons of money on the table and dealing with constant speculation about where he will sign if and when he leaves Cleveland.
Irving is already looking like a star after just two seasons and is considered the best building block in the league and while the team signed Andrew Bynum this offseason, the team is suffering the same fate as when they had James, as they haven't put together a great roster quite yet. The team has plenty of young stars like Anthony Bennett and Tristan Thompson and now Irving will be the biggest question for the franchise. This season Irving is averaging 15.3 points and 6.8 assists per game early on.
