Lakers News: NBA Reacts To Kyrie Irving's Recruitment Of LeBron James To Dallas
Your Los Angeles Lakers' much buzzed-about offseason kicked off in typically explosive fashion, with the team's biggest star, All-NBA small forward LeBron James, announcing right after LA was swept in the Western Conference Finals by the Denver Nuggets that he was contemplating retirement this summer, with $97.6 million still remaining on his contract, should he choose to accept it.
Two weeks later, the ante for craziness has been upped. James' former title-winning Cleveland Cavaliers cohort, Dallas Mavericks All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, is reportedly recruiting James to join him and fellow All-Star Luka Doncic in Dallas.
Either way, could James be heading out of town this summer?
I'm skeptical. This is a solid club that just made the NBA's final four, with several intriguing young free agents and some room to improve its roster.
The takes came fast and furious in response to this Irving tampering news. Who leaked it in the first place, and to what end?
Josiah Johnson speculated that Irving and James were behind the report.
Stalwart Lakers devotee and sneaker designer Golden Knight concurred:
Complex Sports accurately summarized how the LA fanbase was responding:
Clutch Points believes that a fourth star -- a certain defense-first power forward who's transitioned from foe to friend for LeBron, and a fellow Klutch Sports client -- could be a good fit. This "Big Four" has actually been pitched earlier this season. It could require Draymond Green (who could opt out of the final year of his deal this summer) and Irving taking discounts from what they'd otherwise receive on the open market.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated called out Irving for simultaneously attacking reporters for discussing his impending unrestricted free agency while also, to Mannix's thinking, being the party responsible for revealing this information.
Lakers podcaster Anthony F. Irwin cooked up a classic "Bad Boys II" clip to represent the likely response LA team president Rob Pelinka had to this news being potentially leaked by James and Irving:
LA fans also speculated as to how Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who has complained before about the team he defeated stealing Denver's media thunder, would feel about this latest slice of Los Angeles news.
A classic "The Best Man" clip was also invoked to depict the Malone phenomenon:
Beyond wondering who leaked this deal and how rivals and GMs might feel about it in the moment, other big basketball resources were less-than-optimistic about how this defense-free Dallas "Big Three," comprising three big-ego players who all thrive best with the ball in their hands, might fare together:
It seems somewhat unlikely that a James-to-Dallas deal comes to pass. The Mavericks just might not have the assets to justify such a swap from the Lakers' perspective, even if James demands to be dealt there and there alone.
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