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Kyrie Irving may say he doesn’t want to be in the middle of NBA free agency speculation, but if he attends a few Lakers playoff games in Los Angeles, he should know that conversation will spark.
LeBron James has sent his not-so-subtle message that he wants more help, and the rumors that he’s open to reuniting with Irving are nothing new. All of that has led to a lot of speculation in recent weeks about a sign-and-trade from the Lakers to reunite the core of the Cavaliers’ 2016 title team. Although Irving is a free agent, the Lakers have made it clear that they intend to re-hire Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura as limited free agents, putting Irving’s signing off the table right away (unless he wants to take a huge pay cut and wants to play for the intermediate level). exception, which his actions indicate he does not). If Irving comes to the Lakers, it’s on a sign-and-trade.
Then who’s going back to Dallas in this trade? Speculation focused on free agent D’Angelo Russell signing and trading to play alongside Luka Dončić. However, the Mavericks do not feel like it, Marc Stein reports in his latest newsletter.
A hot topic all week, in the wake of Denver sweeping the Lakers out of the Western Conference Finals, was the idea that LA could emerge as a potential sign-and-trade destination for Dallas’ free-agent- to be Kyrie Irving.
While we await a clear indication of the Lakers’ intentions there, with no verifiable signal to date that chasing Irving is one of their off-season priorities, league sources say the Mavericks would have no interest in a sign-and-trade with the Lakers who have D’Angelo Russell as the primary Dallas-bound player. Everything indicates that the Mavericks remain determined to re-sign Irving
While questions about the Dončić vs. Irving matchup remain, when the Mavericks traded for Irving, they committed to this path, both financially and on the field. If Irving gets out, Dallas will have no way to replace him, and they’ll be better off with him than without him. Irving is a much better player than Russell and with Dončić on the roster, the Mavericks are a win-now team. Their preference is clear.
As for Irving, he wants to get paid (remember, he signed up with the Nets instead of leaving to play for less, then pushed for a trade when Brooklyn wouldn’t give him the overtime he wanted). There is logic for both Dallas and Irving to work out a new contract and, if this marriage doesn’t work, trade him in later. The only questions are money, years, and does Irving really want to be in Dallas (he has said he is).
League sources have told NBC Sports that the Lakers’ front office is not targeting Irving in the first place. While the Lakers could free up as much as $30 million in cap space, free agency is not the path the Lakers seem to be taking. Re-signing Reaves and Hachimura and placing them alongside LeBron and Anthony Davis — both Lakers stars earning more than $40 million next season — plus rounding out the roster will see the Lakers quickly above cap and in tax , and the second tax platform is coming into view. The Lakers are more likely to make moves such as picking up the $16.5 million team option on Malik Beasley and trading him and or other players for making and firing shots they want. A Russell sign-and-trade is definitely in play, or they could get it back, just not on anything close to what Russell probably wants (more likely a deal starting at about $20 million a year). Russell was good for the Lakers in the regular season and had a 31-point playoff game to close out the Grizzlies, plus a 21-point game against the Warriors, he was just in a bad game against Denver.
Irving to the Lakers is a gamble. But if LeBron wants it, and Irving wants it, nothing is off the table.
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Report: Mavericks have no interest in Irving sign-and-trade with Lakers bringing back Russell originally appeared on NBCSports.com
