Kyrie Irving Sits Courtside as LeBron James' Lakers Eliminate Grizzlies
The Dallas Mavericks are not be playing in the playoffs, but there are still many intriguing matchups to watch. As a fan, Kyrie Irving watched courtside at Crypto.com Arena as LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers blew out the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 6, achieving a 125-85 victory.
Irving's presence at any game will naturally draw attention, but even more so when it involves his ex-teammate James. Before the game started, Irving and James shared a handshake, reminiscent of their pre-game ritual from their time on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With the game being a blow out, Irving left at the end of the third quarter. Before leaving, he spoke with James' agent, Rich Paul, during a timeout.
James' desire to bring Irving to the Lakers has been clear when following his actions. A lot of attention was placed on the possibility of the two ex-teammates teaming up again after James used the second pick in the All-Star draft to select him, describing him as “the wizard and young god” when announcing the selection. Many took this as a recruiting tactic.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst even described the move as James being on "full blown recruitment mode" during a February appearance on ‘Get Up.'
“Yeah, you know it was the first time for us being teammates so you know,” James jokingly said, after the 2023 All-Star Game. “Nah, it is always great to team back up with Kyrie. Obviously you guys know how I feel about him both on the court and off the court, so it is always good to see him.
"I am very proud of him and the man he has become in his life right now. All-Star Weekend is always great to get an opportunity to be around the guys you watch play, admire play, compete against, but that you just love the way they play the game of basketball. Tonight was another instance."
During last year's playoffs, Dallas native Julius Randle and New York Knicks executive William Wesley sat courtside to watch Game 1 of the Mavs' first-round series win over the Utah Jazz. There was speculation about that decision, whether it was a recruiting move for Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, or both.
There are many factors that go into any the decision that any free agent or team makes in the offseason. For example, it would be challenging for Irving to join the Lakers if the expectation is that he does so while receiving a max contract. However, it's still possible if he was to take less money and receive cooperation from the Mavs in a sign-and-trade.
In any scenario that involves the Lakers acquiring Irving, they would need to quickly deal with D'Angelo Russell's $38.7 million cap hold. Keep in mind, Irving is eligible to sign a deal four-year, $210.1 million contract if he departs the Mavs to sign with another team, but can receive up to a five-year, $272.9 million deal if he re-signs.
The Mavs' focus is to build a contender around Luka Doncic and to do so, retaining Irving's services will be vital. Before knowing the options at their disposal as far as the trade market is concerned, the NBA Draft lottery results will be a key determining factor.
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