Kyrie Irving Rumors: Clippers Asked Celtics About Deadline Trade, Got 'Quick No'

The Los Angeles Clippers reportedly reached out to the Boston Celtics about star point guard Kyrie Irving ahead of the 2019 NBA trade deadline, but they received a "quick no."

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported details Friday about the brief interaction between Los Angeles and Boston, which came before the Clippers made a large-scale trade in February with the Philadelphia 76ers highlighted by Tobias Harris heading to Philly and L.A. getting four future draft picks, including two first-rounders.

It's unclear whether a formal offer for Irving was made at the time.

The Clippers were one of the NBA's surprise teams during the regular season, especially during the early stages of the campaign. They entered 2019 with a 21-15 record, which was tied for fourth place in the highly competitive Western Conference.

Kyrie Irving Highlight Reel

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They'd fallen to eighth in the West by Feb. 7, the date of the deadline, and may have viewed a possible trade for Irving as their opportunity to make a legitimate title push.

Los Angeles finished 48-34 and held on to the No. 8 seed to qualify for the playoffs. It has proceeded to play the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors tough in the opening round, winning Game 5 on Wednesday to decrease the series deficit to 3-2 and earn another home game Friday night.

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers praised his players for picking up the road win to keep their season alive:

A trade for Irving could have shaken up the league's landscape in both conferences, but it doesn't sound like a deal was anywhere close to happening before the deadline.

Meanwhile, Kyrie's future will once again enter the spotlight in the offseason as his contract includes a player option that could allow him to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.