The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly have no interest in reuniting Kyrie Irving and LeBron James.
The Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the conference finals, kicking off a summer of questions — starting with LeBron James’ potential retirement.
Assuming the King returns, LA’s front office will be tasked with building a team that can contend at the highest level. The Lakers weren’t far off by season’s end, but with several high-profile free agents and the incoming CBA complicating matters on the financial front, the Lakers’ summer could get dicey.
One speculative proposal to solve LA’s offensive woes is the addition of Kyrie Irving, a former LeBron teammate who attended multiple Laker home games in the playoffs. The rumor mill has been churning with that possibility, but evidently the Lakers aren’t so thrilled about the idea.
The Los Angeles Lakers have no interest in Kyrie Irving
From Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
"“The Lakers, meanwhile, maintained on Monday that they aren’t interested in adding Irving this summer, according to multiple team sources who aren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter.”"
This is mildly surprising given Irving’s talent, connection to James, and the Lakers’ natural power to attract big-name free agents. But, when one considers the circumstances in full, it becomes much easier to understand this public stance.
First off, Irving will cost a lot of money. He’s not interested in a pay cut according to Buha and the Lakers can’t sign him outright. That means a sign-and-trade would be required, likely based around upcoming free agent D’Angelo Russell — who the Mavs don’t want.
Irving also has a long history of causing headaches in the locker room and he very publicly feuded with LeBron at the end of his Cleveland tenure. They’ve repaired the friendship, but who’s to say conflict won’t bubble up again. We all know the not-so-secret reason why James Harden forced his way out of Brooklyn.
The financial impracticality of adding Irving, combined with Dallas’ significant financial advantages toward keeping Irving, make it extremely likely that the Lakers just can’t make the move. So, why broadcast a desire to do what can’t be done? LA is smartly focusing its priorities on more obtainable goals, none of which are likely to involve trading LeBron to Dallas.