Is Kyrie Irving going to the Lakers? All you need to know about the future of the troubled Mavs star
For a while now, NBA fans have been speculating that somewhere down the road, Kyrie Irving will reunite with LeBron James. The LA Lakers even attempted to recruit the star point guard when he was a free agent last summer. Irving ultimately re-signed with the Brooklyn Nets. But then, rumors of Kyrie joining LA came up nearing the trade deadline.
Lakers fans assumed that the team would trade Russell Westbrook for Kyrie Irving, however, the former Nets star ended up joining Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Hence, the anticipated reunion between Kyrie and LeBron is yet to happen. The only time we saw Irving and James reunite was in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.
However, LA's failure to acquire Kai perhaps turned out to be for the better. The formation of Doncic and Irving seemed like a storm waiting to wreak havoc in the NBA. Unfortunately, the superstar duo didn't work and the Mavs have already been eliminated from the playoffs this season.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are enjoying the assets they've acquired from the Westbrook trade. They climbed their way back to the Play-In Tournament and have a high chance of clinching the 7th seed on Tuesday.
That said, the Lakers organization seems happy with their current roster, with plans to keep the lineup the same by next season. With that in mind, LA may no longer have plans on pursuing Kyrie Irving this summer.
What's next for Kyrie Irving?
When Kyrie Irving joined forces with Luka Doncic, the NBA world assumed that the Dallas Mavericks would dominate the Western Conference. Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened and the Mavs have since been eliminated from the playoffs. Many fans were left disappointed and are now questioning what's going to happen next for the Dallas squad.
While there's a possibility that Irving could leave Dallas in the offseason, Mark Cuban reportedly has other plans. Cuban said that he wants to re-sign the star guard to support Doncic. The Mavericks owner promised the Mavs fanbase that he won't make the same mistakes with the team again and will ensure to efficiently utilize the duo of Kyrie and Luka.