When Kyrie Irving was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Dallas Mavericks a few weeks ago, it looked like the Los Angeles Lakers’ courtship of him was finally over.
They had tried to acquire him two separate times: once last summer and again when he hit the trade market prior to being sent to Dallas.
At the time, some thought the pairing of Irving with Luka Doncic and a decent, albeit imperfect, third banana Christian Wood, would make the Mavs into title contenders, or at least a dark horse team in the Western Conference.
But they have gone 1-4 with Irving and Doncic in the lineup.
Given Irving’s enigmatic nature and Doncic’s scorching competitive temper, former NBA executive John Hollinger, now an analyst with The Athletic, believes there is still a scenario in which Irving leaves Dallas this summer and runs into the Lakers’ arms (h/t Lakers Daily).
Via The Athletic:
“Keep an eye on this situation. Between Irving’s wandering eye for L.A. this summer, the potential of Luka Dončić’s frustration boiling over and Kidd’s history of things ending badly when they end, this could get a lot worse before it gets better.”
Irving will become a free agent this summer unless he and the Mavs agree to a contract extension beforehand, which is unlikely.
It is anyone’s guess whether the Lakers would still be interested in him after they remade their roster and addressed many of their needs prior to the trade deadline. But if they are, nabbing him would require giving up many assets, which would result in a gutted team that would have to be filled out with marginal players on veteran’s minimum contracts.
