Lakers Rumors: Kyrie Irving Could Factor Into LeBron James Signing Extension
Throughout his career, LeBron James has leveraged his superstar status to push front offices to make signings or trades that he believes will help propel him to winning a title. Whether fans like or it not, LeBron has plenty of influence on roster decisions in the player empowerment era. In just a few weeks, James could flex his muscles once again when it comes to LA trading for Kyrie Irving.
LeBron is eligible to sign an extension with LA on August 4th, and those contract discussions could carry some weight with whether or not the Lakers are willing to dive deeper into the luxury tax and sent out a first-round pick or two to get their hands on Kyrie.
Substack's Marc Stein noted that the Kyrie variable could be a factor in whether or not LeBron is willing to ink a two-year deal with LA.
"This is more reminder than reporting: LeBron becomes eligible for a two-year contract extension in the $100 million range on Aug. 4. That’s less than a month away and those talks could (stress: could) be influenced by the state of the Lakers’ roster (or inject the Irving pursuit with some fresh urgency)."
Stein previously reported that LeBron "wants to see Irving in Lakerland more than anyone". That's just one of the several truckloads of breadcrumbs that James has laid when it comes to the potential of the Lakers trading for Kyrie.
The 2027 and 2029 first-round picks the Lakers front office are resistant to include in trade scenarios to help ensure they can compete in the future, mean little to LeBron.
That's the 2027 and 2029 Lakers problem, not his.
Over the years, LeBron-led franchises have constantly sold tomorrow for success today. To be fair, there's merit in that. A healthy LeBron on a functional roster can win a championship.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss has previously stated that one of her main goals is to keep LeBron happy. Fans may find out just how far she's willing to go to accomplish her stated goal in the coming weeks.
