What do Celtics do if Kyrie Irving walks? originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com

Much of the chatter since lottery night has focused on whether the Boston Celtics should be willing to go all-in with their pursuit of Anthony Davis. Boston still owns maybe the most intriguing blend of young talent and draft picks to offer New Orleans, should the Pelicans be unable to convince Davis to stick around to play alongside Zion Williamson.

Boston's willingness to push all its chips in, however, could hinge heavily on one factor: Will Kyrie Irving re-sign with Boston this summer?

Without Irving, the risk associated with trading for Davis, who has only one year remaining on his current deal, is elevated. Danny Ainge might still be crazy enough to pursue him. But there would be the very real chance that, if Irving did not return and Davis bolted after the 2019-20 season, the Celtics could find themselves star-less and with bare cupboards after trading away their best young players and much of their best draft capital.

If Irving simply elects to walk this summer, spurning the roughly $50 million extra he can pocket by signing a five-year, $190 million maximum-contract extension with the Celtics, it might be safer for Boston to embrace a youth movement and focus on building the team through their young core.

What exactly would the Celtics' roster look like if Irving departs?

Irving's exit, as stressed in this space, does not open any sort of avenues to immediate cap space for the Celtics. They'd be watching an All-NBA talent depart and almost certainly without compensation (even a sign-and-trade seems unlikely if Irving desired to sign with a team with cap space). Boston would get some luxury-tax relief but, if Al Horford elected to return (either by opting in or signing a long-term extension), Boston would remain over the salary cap and would have limited avenues to add impact talent.

Still, the Celtics could essentially rally themselves around the notion of building around the 2018 playoff core - Horford, Tatum, Brown, and, yes, maybe even Terry Rozier - while hoping that a healthy Gordon Hayward and some tweaks to the complementary pieces could keep this team competitive.

Some Celtics fans might actually embrace this path, particularly as frustration lingers about Irving's attitude throughout a maddening 2018-19 season in which the Celtics fell woefully short of expectations. Despite the fact that Irving put together one of the best statistical seasons of his NBA career and is likely to land a spot on the All-NBA team, his inability to consistently get the best out of the talent around him leaves some yearning for a less ball-dominant presence.

We'd argue that those yearning for Irving's departure are a little too focused on his struggles against Milwaukee and assigning too much of the blame for Boston's woes this season to the All-Star guard. To be sure, Irving is not without fault and might even deserve the lion's share for the way his leadership struggles impacted the locker room. But those clinging to the idea that Irving's departure would solve a lot of what ailed this team are likely misguided and are overlooking a lot of the good vibes that existed two seasons ago. Winning cures a lot of what ails you and, ultimately, you need star talent in the NBA to have success.

The Celtics will be ready to welcome Irving back should he hold true to his preseason suggestion that he intended to re-sign here. If he doesn't, Boston's championship desires take a hit and the quest for the next star gets murkier.

Despite his repeated suggestions that he might have to go if the roster looks similar, Rozier could be brought back to fill Irving's loss at point guard, a particularly agreeable course for Boston should Rozier find a lukewarm market in restricted free agency. The Celtics can match any offer he receives, or try to find a price point that helps both player and team in the short term.

Boston could also consider splurging to retain Marcus Morris, though he might find a better blend of pay and playing time elsewhere (LeBron's Lakers might have some money to spend if they can't fetch another star). Aron Baynes has a $5.5 million option to consider, while the team can guarantee the bargain salary of Semi Ojeleye.

Story continues