"Why would Kyrie want to be on without LeBron, and furthermore, why would LeBron not wanna be on when Kyrie is there" - Skip Bayless speculates on potential animosity between Kyrie Irving and LeBron James
Kyrie Irving's appearance and LeBron James' lack of one on the most recent episode of "The Shop," sparked speculation from FOX Sports' Skip Bayless.
On "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," the analyst spoke about potential animosity between the former teammates. He said:
"It makes me wonder 'Why would Kyrie want to be on without LeBron, and furthermore, why would LeBron not wanna be on when Kyrie is there?' ... This was the show featuring Kyrie Irving.
.@RealSkipBayless reacts to Kyrie Irving making an appearance on 'The Shop'
"The bigger question is why would Kyrie want to go on without LeBron and why wouldn't LeBron not want to be there with Kyrie? This would've been theatre, must-see TV." https://t.co/gWzp217w7g
"All I've heard from across the table now (from Shannon Sharpe) for months is, 'We gotta get Kyrie. It's Kyrie or Bust.' ... The point is: Why wouldn't they wanna do the show together, because that would be theater. That's must-see TV right? Those two together, going back and forth, about. What happened?"
Kyrie Irving and LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2016 NBA championship, with Irving leaving in 2017 to play for the Boston Celtics.
The possibility of Kyrie Irving and LeBron James teaming up lines up perfectly
Kyrie Irving opted into the final year of his contract in June and is likely to play out the 2022-23 season with the Brooklyn Nets. Unless Brooklyn wins the NBA title next season, Irving will likely test his options in free agency next summer.
The Nets front office and Irving have been at loggerheads for some time now. Irving reportedly asked for an extension this summer but was unhappy with the terms of doing so.
Irving then asked to be traded, prescribed a list of teams he'd like to get traded to, and, yet again, didn't get his way. He finally made his choice to stay in Brooklyn, exercising his $36 million player option.
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However, the LA Lakers were one of the favorites to get Irving, even after he opted in to his contract. This was primarily due to the precarious position Kevin Durant was in. With the Durant situation hashed out, Irving and Durant will be back on the floor in 2022-23.
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving could still end up together, though.
One of the biggest question marks on the Lakers' books is Russell Westbrook's contract. This is arguably the highest-paying deal for a player not looked at as one of the top 20 players in the league.
Westbrook's contract expires at the same time as Irving's and opens up plenty of cap space to sign Irving next summer. Whether such a signing goes down is subject to how Irving's 2022-23 season pans out with the Nets.