On Monday afternoon, Shams Charania reported that Kyrie Irving had reached out to LeBron James to see if the Lakers star would be interested in joining him at the Dallas Mavericks.
For a myriad of reasons, there is almost no chance of this happening. First off, with only two future picks up for swap and no significant up-and-coming talent, Dallas can’t put together a trade package large enough to secure a deal for James, who has one more season plus a contract through 2024. 25-player option for his deal with the Lakers.
It is suspected that this is a bargaining chip to bring Irving to the Lakers, who could potentially feel the pressure that LeBron wants to reunite with Irving. But that also seems unlikely. The Lakers can only muster about $34 million in player capacity, and that’s only if they fire just about everyone besides James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves.
Irving is eligible for about $46 million in the first year of a new contract. It would therefore require a massive drive from Irving’s side, and even if he did, the Lakers would have to take it easy with the depletion of their game. Don’t rule anything out in the NBA. But don’t bet on it all happening.
So what is the more likely scenario? LeBron stays in LA and Irving stays in Dallas. After Charania’s report surfaced, Marc Stein suggested that Irving might try to sell himself to Dallas as a recruiter, hoping to secure the maximum deal possible. Anyhow, Stein reported that both the Mavericks and Irving want an agreement to keep the eight-time All-Star at Dallas.
From stone:
Sources say Dallas hasn’t slacked on their hopes and intentions of re-signing Irving as free agency and pursuing other potential win-now roster upgrades via trade packages built around the 10th overall pick in the June 22 draft .
And …
But two sources close to the trial insisted Monday that Irving has always expressed a desire to remain a maverick and actually wants to deny the idea that he’s aspiring to LA
“He wants to stay,” a source said.
Notable is the part where Dallas tries to trade the 10th pick in the upcoming draft. Dallas is pretty desperate to put together a competitor before Luka Doncic feels the urge to leave, which is why Dallas made the midseason trade for Irving in the first place.
Chances are Dallas will eventually go that route. Re-sign Irving, build a trade pack around the 10th pick, and aim to go title chasing next season in what appears to be a very even championship landscape.