Charles Barkley makes stunning Kyrie Irving claim amid Knicks and Lakers rumours

That’s according to NBA legend Charles Barkley, who doesn’t think Irving is good as the No 1 guy.

The Celtics are facing elimination from the NBA Playoffs after going down 3-1 in their series with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Irving has surprisingly not been himself over the last few games, shooting poorly from the field.

And with Boston facing the strong possibility of going out of the playoffs, attention has turned to what could happen in the offseason.

The most important decision will be what Irving decides to do, with permutations on what the Celtics will do in the trade window.

The New York Knicks are seen as favourites to land the 27-year-old in free agency, while the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets have also been touted as a possibility.

Boston will be hoping they can convince Irving to re-sign, even if they get eliminated from the playoffs by the Bucks.

But Barkley believes Irving and the Celtics should cut ties this summer, and he adds the Knicks won’t be a good choice for a new destination.

“I think that it’s not a good mix there,” Barkley told ESPN’s Get Up!

“I think he’s not happy there.”

He added: “I don’t think Kyrie Irving can be the best player on your team.

“He’s a very talented player. But from a mental standpoint of being a leader of your franchise, that has to live with all the criticism, I don’t think he can be the best player on your team.

“When you’re a star and you’re the No 1 guy on your team, you get all the credit and that’s great.

“But when things go bad, you get all the blame.

“And I don’t think Kyrie — he’s a nice kid and a hell of a player — but from a mental makeup, especially since they say he’s going to New York, listen, if he can’t handle playing in Boston, he’s got no chance of playing in New York because that’s a totally different animal.”

source: express.co.uk