Kyrie Irving had been linked with the Lakers for months before he joined the Mavericks. LeBron James needed help and his former teammate in Cleveland looked like the perfect target for the Purple and Gold, but they couldnāt make it happen.
Instead, when Kyrie requested a trade out of Brooklyn, it was Dallas who got him out of the Nets. Rob Pelinka managed to improve the Lakersā roster in his own way, with multiple trades that eventually brought better results.
But are the Lakers done with pursuing Irving? According to Matt Barnes, we shouldnāt write them off. The former champion with the Warriors in 2017 claimed they can still land him if they really want to.
Matt Barnes suggests Lakers are still a potential destination for Irving
āWhen the Lakers want someone, they get him,ā Barnes said on his āAll The Smokeā podcast, via Lakers Daily. āNo matter what the cap is, no matter what they have to do when the Lakers want someone they get him. So itāll definitely be a Kyrie watch.
āWhen they want someone, they make it happen. I donāt expect him to be back in Dallas, to be honest with you. I just donāt know if that was a very good fit, although they didnāt have a ton of time to play together. I just donāt think thatās where he lands this summer.ā
Needless to say, Irvingās trade to the Mavs didnāt go according to plan. Dallas still looks interested in having him back next season, but itās not up to them. Depending on how theyfare in the playoffs, the Lakers could make another run at him in the next few months.
