NBA Rumors: Lakers-Irving pulse check, Steph’s stirring soapbox speech, and the best-kept center secret in the league
By Kristen Wong
NBA Rumors: Lakers no longer interested in acquiring Kyrie Irving
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving shared a moment in the Los Angeles Lakers’ Game 6 win over the Memphis Grizzles, sparking new rumors of their potential re-partnership.
Once hailed as a dark horse candidate in the Irving sweepstakes, the Lakers reportedly are out on Irving and will not be pursuing the Dallas Mavericks star after the playoffs.
Per The Athletic’s anonymous sources, “no matter how close Irving might be to James, the Lakers are disinterested in pursuing him in free agency.”
Since the NBA trade deadline went down, the Mavs suffered and the Lakers thrived. LA acquired key pieces who helped revitalize their season (D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and others) and just rolled past the Grizzlies; within that first-round series, five different Lakers players went home as the team’s leading scorer.
Going after Irving would unravel the team’s hard work and chemistry that got them to where they are now, and based on Los Angeles’ current offensive form, the Lakers don’t need a savvy ball-handler like Irving at the moment. They’re doing just fine.
The Mavs, after all, reportedly remain “optimistic” about re-signing Irving to form a long-term duo with Luka Doncic as the central nucleus of their roster.
As long as Los Angeles keeps up the production, the Lakers-Irving rumors will continue to flatline.