Will Lakers' Offseason Plans Involve Pursuit of Mavs' Kyrie Irving?
DALLAS — While the current focus for the Dallas Mavericks remains on simply making it to the playoffs, there will be no shortage of important matters to tend to during the upcoming offseason.
Atop the list of priorities will be to retain the services of Kyrie Irving, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent. The Mavs traded for the superstar knowing that he's playing out the final year of his current contract, but execution is still required to make it a long-term arrangement.
Irving is currently working through right foot soreness that has forced him to be in and out of the lineup recently. He's been highly productive for the Mavs in the 13 games that he's played, averaging 28.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists, while producing shooting splits well above the 50-40-90 mark.
So far, the Mavs have only played nine games with both Luka Doncic and Irving in the lineup. The team has struggled to stay healthy throughout the stretch-run of the regular season, making it difficult to stay afloat, in addition to working through the chemistry building process. Regardless, the impact Irving makes has been made apparent during his opportunities.
According to The Athletic, the Los Angeles Lakers are unlikely to pursue Irving during his impending free agency, with their intent being to retain the players they acquired via trade ahead of the midseason deadline.
"The Lakers are unlikely to pursue Irving in free agency this summer, according to multiple league sources granted anonymity so they could speak freely," Jovan Buha wrote. "As of now, the organization’s plan is to run things back with most, if not all, of their free agents."
The Lakers have benefited from the defensive presence of Jarred Vanderbilt to pair with Anthony Davis. Factor in having D'Angelo Russell to generate offense in the backcourt with the sharpshooting of Malik Beasley, there's a lot to like about what Los Angeles has done to revitalize its supporting cast.
It would quite limiting for the Lakers' subsequent possible moves after acquiring Irving, if they managed to do so. Given the lack of success achieved after moving depth in exchange for Russell Westbrook, it would be challenging to envision that being the route they choose to take.
Many reports have indicated an expectation for Irving to remain in Dallas if the Mavs are willing to make a long-term, maximum contract offer. Given the team made the trade likely having this understanding, it's difficult to envision potential hesitancy in making such an offer.
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