A potential Kyrie Irving reunion with LeBron James might be something to monitor after all, but instead of it happening on the Los Angeles Lakers, Irving reportedly is trying to get the superstar to come to the Dallas Mavericks.
Sources: Kyrie Irving has reached out to Lakers star LeBron James in attempts to see if James would come to Dallas. Irving is a free agent this offseason.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 5, 2023
“A new twist has emerged in the LeBron James-Kyrie Irving reunion plot, as league sources have told Bleacher Report Irving wants the Dallas Mavericks to explore trading for LeBron James this offseason to create a Big 3 alongside himself and Luka Doncic,” wrote NBA insider Chris Haynes.
“At this point, it’s no secret Irving and James are open to a reunion from their days playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron has made it clear as recently as February’s trade deadline that he’d be open to playing alongside his former teammate.
“The Mavericks were preparing to make an offer for James last season when the Lakers were spiraling, sources say. But the Lakers made a string of trades near the deadline that changed the trajectory of their season.”
James seemingly would love to have Irving join the Lakers, but that idea doesn’t seem to have much momentum within the organization. That may have Irving seeing an opening that he and the Mavericks can use to their advantage.
A trio of James, Irving and Doncic certainly could vault the Mavericks back into championship contention. Irving and Doncic alone did not produce the desired results after Irving arrived in Dallas from the Brooklyn Nets in a trade during the 2022-23 regular season.
Irving will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and can sign with anyone who has the cap space to accommodate him. The Lakers would almost certainly need to orchestrate a sign-and-trade with the Mavericks to make the finances work in a deal for Irving.
It is unclear what Los Angeles might want in a hypothetical trade for James, who has one year plus a player option remaining on his deal, or how Dallas could afford all three players at once.
This all depends, of course, on whether or not James will even be playing next season. He hinted at retirement after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs and has seemingly used social media to ponder an NBA without him in it.
Rich Paul also recently chose not to confirm whether his most famous client is planning to suit up or hang it up next season.
Despite all the talk about James potentially stepping away, most observers believe the 38-year-old will return for another season. Whether that’s because he wants a fifth NBA title, is looking for a farewell tour or wants to fulfill his desire of playing in the NBA at the same time as his son Bronny, no one can be sure.
But until the future Hall of Famer makes his latest decision, Irving and the rest of the NBA can continue to dream about what might transpire this offseason.
