Lakers News: Insider Predicts Trade To Finally Send Kyrie Irving to LA

Will Kyrie reunite with LeBron later this year?

The buzz surrounding Kyrie Irving simply won't go away. 

Whether talking about his off-the-court interests, theories, or existence on the basketball court, the eight-time All-Star firmly remains a fixture in weekly news cycles. 

Among the pertinent topics, Irving is always associated with your Los Angeles Lakers despite being a member of the Dallas Mavericks. The link to LeBron James is obvious -- as is the history of superstar talent donning the purple and gold. 

Bleacher Report’s top 15 guards for next season:

1. Luka Doncic
2. Steph Curry
3. Devin Booker
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
5. Damian Lillard
6. Anthony Edwards
7. Jamal Murray
8. De’Aaron Fox
9. Donovan Mitchell
10. Ja Morant
11. James Harden
12. Kyrie Irving
13. Trae…

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 28, 2023

Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report certainly didn't do anything to curb the speculation around Irving and his future in Dallas. 

On Sunday, Bailey penned an article that predicted one trade for every NBA trade a month before the regular season started. Unsurprisingly, the transaction involving the Lakers had a very familiar name associated with them. 

According to Bailey, the mock trade he came up with had Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell, and a 2029 first-round pick heading to Dallas in exchange for the mercurial Irving. 

Bailey expanded further on the deal: 

"In May, the Dallas Mavericks reportedly had "no interest" in trading for D'Angelo Russell, but the Los Angeles Lakers signed him to a very movable contract. And if the Dallas Mavericks underwhelm for the second season in a row, you can be sure the rumors of a LeBron James-Kyrie Irving reunion will resurface."

- Bailey

per Bleacher Report

Irving has a base salary of slightly more than $37 million for this current season. Next year, Irving is due to make $40 million. A player option for $42.9 million exists the year after. Interestingly enough, Russell inked a 1-year deal for a little more than $17 million this year. Hachimura also inked a 3-year deal worth nearly $16 million. 

In other words, both of those contracts together should enable the Lakers to nab Irving if a trade were theoretically agreed upon. It'll be quite fascinating to see how the new-look Lakers perform this upcoming year. If they falter or get off to a slow start, the buzz on a potential Irving trade will continue to get louder and louder.

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