With silky smooth handles and a respectable jumpshot, many teams this summer are bidding in the Kyrie Irving sweepstakes. You can't blame these teams, as Kyrie has had success with his time so far in Boston. Averaging around 24 points per game as well as a few rebounds and assists, Kyrie is regarded as one of the top 3-4 point guards in the league. Kyrie has a plethora of moves in his arsenal, as he is deadly on and off the dribble. He is definitely elite in his ability to create his own shot, being one of the best ball-handlers in the league. With his free agency coming up in July, basketball fans are wondering if adding Kyrie to their team can propel them to contender status. My argument is pretty straight up, Kyrie will definitely improve a team's regular season record, but he will not make them contenders. The only way for this to happen would be if he joined a team where he wasn't the best player. As shown as his days in Cleveland before LeBron and his stint in Boston, Kyrie has not been able to reach the Conference Finals on his own. Even though the Celtics did reach it when he was injured, that's beside the point. Kyrie may be one of the best players in the league, but his leadership is very much so questionable. Kyrie has been seen as unmotivated at times, as shown by his interviews. This, along with his inability to lead a team as the best player, should be a red flag for teams looking to acquire his services this offseason. Therefore, I recommend that the Brooklyn Nets avoid signing him this summer. I believe the Nets should continue to have D'Angelo run the point for them. Being younger than Kyrie also helps, as he will be paid less and can spare the Nets some cap to go pursue other role players to add to their rotation. I believe that with Kyrie, he will make the Brooklyn Net's development stagnate. The team needs to focus on the further development of guards Russell and LeVert, as well as defensive-minded center Jarrett Allen. I believe that the Nets would better benefit going after a star forward to bolster their lineup. Kyrie would only add just a little more production in the point guard spot, while taking up a large percent of the cap for the next 3-4 years. Where Kyrie should go is somewhere like the Los Angeles Lakers. Given that Irving saw success under LeBron, this Lakers team looks to be far more talented than the championship team in Cleveland. Irving would also join with Anthony Davis, allowing Irving to play with a star big man. Besides the Lakers, another team that may be a good fit for Kyrie is the 76ers. The 76ers are still missing that elite scoring threat off the wing, which Butler tried to do this season. Somebody like Irving may help the 76ers get over that hump in the Eastern Conference. Bringing his championship experience to this young team would be extremely valuable. Obviously, you could make an argument that he'd be the best player on that team, but I believe Joel Embiid has showed us he's a top player in this league and maybe better than Irving. Irving could also help Ben Simmons with the ball-handling duties, which may allow for Simmons to focus on developing his much needed jumpshot. The only way though that this could happen is if the 76ers let both Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler walk in free agency. This though is a possibility, as both players are being linked to other teams.

With all this being said, I believe that we as basketball fans need to continue to remind ourselves about who Kyrie Irving really is. Irving is a talented player, definitely a top 20 player in this league. But with the way championships teams are now built, Kyrie does not fit the build of a player that can be the main piece to a championship team. Through his experiences in the early Cleveland days and well as Boston, we can be sure of this as fans. Kyrie this summer should not go out and join a team where he again will be the clear best player. He instead needs to do what I think, and join an established roster to become the last piece for finals contention. For the sake of his career, Kyrie needs to make the right decision this summer in order to make the biggest impact he can.