Lakers News: Kyrie Irving Trying To Recruit LeBron James To Dallas This Summer
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Have we all been misreading the rampant idle chatter about your Los Angeles Lakers potentially executing a sign-and-trade for another mercurial, past-his-prime All-Star point guard in the Dallas Mavericks' Kyrie Irving? Irving showed up to sit courtside at not one, but two of LA's home playoff games during its surprise run to the Western Conference Finals, and we know James was frustrated when Los Angeles was unable to trade for Irving ahead of the trade deadline.
Now, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and Shams Charania of The Athletic, it appears the shoe might be on the other foot.
Irving, an unrestricted free agent this summer, is reportedly striving not to be moved to the Lakers after all, but rather to bring James to his Mavericks.
This would theoretically create a new "Big Three" in the Lone Star State, with Irving and James orbiting around All-NBA First Team lead guard Luka Doncic.
James is currently signed for $46.9 million with Los Angeles for at least this season, but could opt out of his $50.6 million deal with LA for 2024-25. So if he wanted to join Dallas this summer, he would need to force a trade.
Haynes notes that James is friendly with the Mavericks' coaching staff. Head coach Jason Kidd was a teammate of James' on the 2008 Olympic "Redeem Team." Assistant coach Jared Dudley was a key locker room leader as a reserve on the Lakers from 2019-21, while Kidd was himself an assistant coach under Frank Vogel with the club by this point.
The Mavericks could flip the contracts of wing Tim Hardaway Jr. and big men Davis Bertans and Maxi Kleber, in addition to future draft capital, to acquire James from LA. The Lakers would demand a king's ransom for their All-NBA superstar, even in his dotage, and adding those non-All-Stars wouldn't exactly set the world on fire. It all hinges on (a) James demanding a trade to Dallas specifically and (b) Los Angeles being amenable to major draft equity.
Dallas possesses its own pick, a lottery selection (No. 10), this year and owes a top-10 protected pick to the New York Knicks in 2024. Beyond that, the Mavericks owe another, unprotected first round selection to the Brooklyn Nets (as a result of the Irving trade) in 2028. At least one unprotected first rounder would need to be conveyed for the Lakers to bite. Once the Mavericks make their selection in this year's draft, it becomes tradable again, meaning Dallas could ostensibly flip its 2023 and 2026 picks to LA in a deal. Would that be enough?
Beyond all this, there's a real question of fit. Neither James, nor Doncic, nor Irving play much defense during the regular season. We've seen James and Irving crank up their effort on that end of the floor in recent years, but would the Mavericks be able to put together a club with the right level of depth around that starry, pricey triumvirate to equip it with enough defense for a winning situation?
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