A new report claims that a possible partnership between the Los Angeles Lakers and Kyrie Irving is not a priority this summer for the team or the superstar player.
For months there have been various reports about the possibility of Kyrie Irving ending up in Los Angeles as a member of the Lakers. Originally a trade from the Brooklyn Nets to LA was a possibility and seemed to be something Lebron James was pressuring the Lakers to do.
Related: Los Angeles Lakers rumors – Latest news and information for 2023 offseason
However, a deal never seemed close to happening and the Lakers instead made a slew of trades at the deadline to improve their chances this season.
After the Dallas Mavericks’ disastrous finish to their season, the speculation of Irving ending up with the Lakers was renewed with some assuming he could join the team as a free agent this summer. But after Los Angeles surprisingly reached the conference finals this season, rumors of an Irving and James reunion have seemed to cool.
Kyrie Irving reportedly prefers Dallas Mavericks over Los Angeles Lakers
On Monday, headlines were made when a new report claimed that Kyrie Irving actually reached out to the Los Angeles Lakers superstar to gauge his interest in forcing his way to Dallas. And it seems that may have happened because the legendary franchise and the star guard may not be as interested in a partnership as some might have assumed.
- Kyrie Irving stats (’22-’23): 27.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 38% 3PT
Yesterday, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that “the Lakers will prioritize re-signing restricted free agents Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura once the [free agent] market opens.” next month. Both men were key parts of the team’s impressive run in this year’s NBA playoffs. He also added that there has been “no indication” that the team has any interest in Irving since before the February trade deadline.
However, the feeling seems to be mutual as Stein claims sources have “insisted” to him that Irving’s preference is to return to the Dallas Mavericks and “actually wants to shut down the notion that he’s angling to get to L.A.”
At this point, Irving does not seem like such a good fit for the Los Angeles Lakers, and if Irving wants to get the most money possible this summer, a return to the Mavericks makes far more sense than a move to LA.