The Los Angeles Lakers are viewed as one of the winners in free agency this season, as they managed to retain key players such as Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, while also making some new additions.
Though the moves that the team made are solid on paper, they could end up making trades in the future. In fact, Lakers insider Jovan Buha revealed that LeBron James has been pushing for the team to acquire Kyrie Irving.
“LeBron was still pushing for Kyrie, as recently as this offseason… He’s made it very clear that he and Kyrie have made up… LeBron has really been very keen on potentially playing with Kyrie again. I would not be surprised if those rumors up again, closer to the trade deadline, depending on what happens at Dallas.” (9:17)
It remains to be seen if the Los Angeles Lakers do end up acquiring Kyrie Irving in the future. They have the salary to match his deal in a trade, and if the Dallas Mavericks aren’t a good team next year, perhaps Kyrie Irving will request a trade. Kyrie Irving notably signed a three-year, $126 million contract this summer to remain with the Mavericks.
Kyrie Irving averaged 26.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game in 20 games with the Dallas Mavericks this season. He would definitely help the Los Angeles Lakers with perimeter shot creation, and we’ll see what happens next year regarding his situation.
The Los Angeles Lakers Weren’t Interested In Acquiring Kyrie Irving In Free Agency
Even though LeBron James has pushed for the Los Angeles Lakers to acquire Kyrie Irving in the offseason, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the team has to grant his request. In fact, a previous report revealed that the Lakers had no interest in adding Kyrie Irving in free agency, despite the relationship the point guard has with James. Perhaps that is why the guard ultimately decided to remain with the Dallas Mavericks.
To be fair, Kyrie Irving is in a good situation right now. Playing with Luka Doncic means that Irving will have a legitimate chance to be a dark horse contender in the Western Conference, and the duo has enough firepower to keep up with most teams. We will see how he does next year, but it definitely looks like Irving is primed for a monster season.
