Kyrie Irving's LeBron James Trade Recruitment a Ploy to Sign Mavs Long-Term Contract?
With 15 days remaining until the NBA Draft, rumors are already starting to heat up for the Dallas Mavericks. This week, things were taken up a notch by the report of star point guard Kyrie Irving attempting to recruit LeBron James away from the Los Angeles Lakers to form a Mavs 'Big 3' of Luka Doncic, Irving and James. However, some people believe Irving putting on his recruiting cap could have an ulterior motive.
On Tuesday, NBA Analyst Nick Wright joined The Herd with Colin Cowherd to give his take on what the Kyrie recruitment of LeBron might really mean.
"I think it's more about Kyrie trying to secure a long-term contract from the Mavericks," Wright said.
There could be some truth to what Wright is saying. After all, Irving is 31 years old with an injury history and a troublesome past, so this is likely his last opportunity to case in on a big-money contract while he's still in his prime. Showing the Mavs that he's willing to put himself out there in attempts to recruit some of the best talent in the league to Dallas? That would certainly give owner Mark Cuban more incentive to open up his wallet more on June 30 when free agency commences.
Given, Irving already has a good case for receiving a big payday due to his on-court play. In 20 games for the Mavs, Irving averaged 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 51 percent from the field, 39.2 percent from deep and 94.7 percent from the free-throw line. Although Dallas only had an 8-12 record in those 20 games, the team's plummet out of the Play-In Tournament was due to a lack of overall defensive talent on the roster, not the pay of Irving.
Although the Mavs don't have the most attractive trade assets when compared to what their peers can offer, trading for a superstar player ultimately comes down to one very important factor: Does said superstar want to play for your team? That's the question that must be asked when it comes to the idea of the Mavs adding a third star alongside Irving and Doncic.
If the answer is 'yes,' then chances are, both teams involved will find a way to make it work regardless of the Mavs not having the best trade package. If Irving is able to get a 'yes' from James or another highly-talented star player when it comes to the idea of playing in Dallas, then the Mavs will have more reasons than just his on-court play to justify giving him a max contract.
So, yes, Irving probably is trying to get as much money as he can on his next contract, but he's also trying to maximize his chances of winning a championship at the same time, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that.
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