Kyrie Irving Considered Knicks Before Committing to Re-Sign with Celtics

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Before the start of the regular season, Kyrie Irving verbally committed to the Boston Celtics for the long haul.

However, it turns out the Celtics weren't the only team on his mind.

Speaking to reporters after Saturday night's 103-101 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Irving said he considered the Knicks as a potential landing spot in unrestricted free agency.

According to ESPN.com's Ian Begley, Irving "mentioned having grown up in New Jersey, playing with Kristaps Porzingis and playing for David Fizdale as factors that were attractive to him."

Despite those selling points, Irving made it clear the Celtics were the front-runner all along since they're already positioned as title contenders for the foreseeable future.

"I think if you were in my position I think it would be an easy decision," he said, per the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy. "Thinking about who we have and the future and what we're set up for. For me it was—where I am in age and how I envision my career going and kind of the lineage of guys that have come before me in the Boston Celtics is something I wanted to be a part of."

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While Irving continues his stay in Boston, the Knicks will hope to add another max-caliber free agent next summer, with their sights trained firmly on Golden State Warriors small forward Kevin Durant.

According to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, the Knicks—along with the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers—"will take a run" at Durant.

"[The] New York Knicks have a very good shot at luring KD away from the Bay Area," Haynes told FS1's Undisputed earlier this month. "... The same allure that LeBron had towards the Los Angeles Lakers, just the building, the culture, is the same way I know that KD feels about the Knicks."