It’s widely known that LeBron James and Kyrie Irving want to team up and dominate the NBA again. But, given the Los Angeles Lakers’ salary cap situation, that’s easier said than done.
The Lakers unsuccessfully tried to trade for him last season, but Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai wasn’t going to grant him his wish. Instead, he sent him to the Dallas Mavericks.
Now, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that Irving has reached out to James to wonder whether he’s willing to join him and Luka Doncic and play for Jason Kidd next season.
Kyrie Irving Wants LeBron James To Join Him In Dallas
“Sources: Kyrie Irving has reached out to Lakers star LeBron James in attempts to see if James would come to Dallas. Irving is a free agent this offseason,” Charania reported.
Still, this just doesn’t seem realistic. His family is in Los Angeles, Bronny committed to USC, and his business headquarters are also based in California. Also, why would the Lakers trade him unless they get Doncic in return?
Lakers Could Still Pursue Irving
Even so, there’s still a chance the Lakers could make a run at Irving, as Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype reported that there’s no true to the rumors of him already having a handshake agreement in place with the Mavs:
“Kyrie Irving was at Crypto Arena – and if you’re D’Angelo Russell getting ready to play a game, that had to be something to look over and see Kyrie there while Kyrie and LeBron are doing their handshakes – and some wondered if this was a leverage play to get the Lakers to make a move to get Irving,” Scotto wrote.
“I’ve heard there’s no truth to any reports that Irving has a handshake deal with Dallas on a new max contract for four years with a player option at this time,” the report added. “Not to say he won’t be back in Dallas. They certainly have all the motivation to keep him after trading for him and the financial resources to make him the best offer possible, but nothing’s done as of yet.”
Unless he takes a significant pay cut, the Lakers will need help from the Mavs to get a deal done with Irving, and neither option seems realistic right now. But we’ve seen crazier things happen.
