Dallas Mavs’ Kyrie Irving Hints at Free Agency Recruiting; Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James?
When it comes to Kyrie Irving, everyone knows what he brings to the Dallas Mavericks in terms of on-court talent. Between his dazzling handles, unmatched footwork and uncanny ability to get off any shot he desires, there’s a lot to like when analyzing Irving’s fit next to Luka Doncic and the rest of the Mavs’ revamped roster.
With that being said, Irving might be able to help the Mavs out off the court as well when it comes to future recruiting in free agency, given his deep connections with other stars around the league.
On Thursday, Irving talked about how he enjoyed the Mavs’ front office seeking his input when it came to roster decisions over the summer, and he also hinted at looking forward to these next two free agency classes.
“I’m happy about the moves, no harsh criticism from me,” Irving said of the Mavs’ roster overhaul.
“They asked me what I thought throughout the summertime. Even in our closing meetings, they just asked me questions, trying to gauge who I wanted to play with and who I saw in the market and who in these next couple of free agency classes will be available. That’s pretty interesting.”
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It’s especially interesting if you consider Irving’s attempt to recruit his former championship teammate and current Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James over the offseason. According to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic, Irving “reached out” to James to gauge his interest in potentially coming to Dallas.
At 38 years old and heading into his 21st season, James is still playing at an incredibly-high level, but despite his great longevity, Father Time eventually comes for everybody. If he wants to prolong his career into his early-to-mid 40s while potentially adding a few more championships and not having to shoulder the burden of being a No. 1 option … then joining forces with Irving, Doncic and a Mavs’ team that has a handful of intriguing young talent could be an enticing situation for him to consider.
“I was looking towards the future, while also being aware that it takes time to build a great team,” Irving said. “It takes time to build chemistry. And with me and Luka, we’re so skilled. He makes the game so easy for everyone around him.
“We have the pieces out there. We have some young guys that are incredibly active. We drafted well. And just to be included in that process felt good, being asked questions on what I thought and and how the our pieces would fit around. But also, I’m not the centralized focus.”
For a guy who has been the “centralized focus” for his entire career, perhaps James will see how taking on a lesser role behind two younger stars could be the best move for him individually and for his next team … and perhaps Irving will be the one to present that vision to him.
