NBA Insider: Mavs 'Really Optimistic' About Re-Signing Kyrie Irving; Lakers Still Lingering?

Though the Dallas Mavericks seem to be the favorites to re-sign Kyrie Irving, should they be worried about LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers?

DALLAS — The Los Angeles Lakers, like the Dallas Mavericks, have a number of roster decisions to make this offseason. The Lakers, fresh off getting swept in the Western Conference Finals by the Denver Nuggets, could be after one of Dallas' own.

On Monday's episode of "The Lowe Post,” ESPN's Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks discussed the outlook of the Lakers after their WCF loss. One option that has always hovered around the Lakers is reuniting LeBron James with Kyrie Irving in Los Angeles.

"I know it's been reported elsewhere over the year that the Lakers have washed their hands of the Kyrie Irving dream -- I actually don't think that's true," Lowe said. "The buzz in Chicago is the Mavs are really optimistic about retaining Kyrie Irving, but I don't think the Lakers have entirely thrown that idea in the trash."

Lowe and Marks ran through a scenario where the Lakers create around $34 million in cap space to sign Kyrie Irving, which would include renouncing the likes of Rui Hachimura while letting D'Angelo Russell walk in free agency and trading Jarred Vanderbilt.

In said scenario, the Lakers would bring back a roster surrounding LeBron James and Irving with Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and a number of veterans on minimum contracts.

As for a potential trade between the two teams, Lowe and Marks proposed a trade that would land Irving in Los Angeles in exchange for Russell, Vanderbilt, Mo Bamba, and the No. 17 pick in the 2023 NBA draft in a double sign-and-trade. For Dallas, that trade sounds like a hard no.

Giving up an eight-time All-Star in Irving, who you just traded two starters and multiple draft picks for, in exchange for 50 cents on the dollar? If Irving wants to will his way to Los Angeles to reunite with James, so be it. But Mavs GM Nico Harrison and company will have to make sure they get more in return than the proposed trade above.

Overall, the Mavs still seem like the favorites to re-sign Irving this summer, but with James' cryptic comments on Monday night, hinting at retirement and potentially attempting to gain leverage against the Lakers' front office to make a move for his former running mate, you can never be sure until the ink is dry.

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