When Kyrie Irving signed a big new contract to remain with the Dallas Mavericks earlier this month, it was assumed that the rumors of him possibly coming to the Los Angeles Lakers would mercifully end.
But those rumors refuse to die.
Irving is now going to play under a three-year, $126 million contract for the Mavs. One would think he would stay put for a while, but one never knows with someone as enigmatic as him.
Then there is the matter of LeBron James, who spent three seasons with him on the Cleveland Cavaliers and won an NBA championship with him in 2016. James reportedly was pushing hard for the Lakers to land Irving when they went after the star guard, first last summer and again in the middle of this past season.
According to Brian Windhorst, James still has an interest in playing with Irving.
Via Lakers Daily:
“I will say this. I do think LeBron has an interest in playing with Kyrie Irving again,” Windhorst said during an episode of his podcast. “I think he likes the idea of playing with Kyrie, the concept of playing with Kyrie and Anthony Davis. I have long said the best big-man pairing that LeBron’s ever had, as far as pure fit, is Anthony Davis. I believe the best guard pairing LeBron’s ever had is Kyrie Irving.”
Los Angeles appears to have a roster that doesn’t necessarily need Irving. It has D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves starting in the backcourt, at least presumably, with Max Christie and newcomer Gabe Vincent behind them.
Perhaps Lakers fans should be prepared to hear or read more about such rumors regarding James and Irving from time to time simply based on the recent past.