NBA Rumors: Former executive wary of Kyrie Irving's 'wandering eye' for LA Lakers
According to reports, a former executive has been wary of Kyrie Irving's interest in the LA Lakers. With the Dallas star playing out the season with his new team, the executive shared why things may not look good for the Mavericks in the immediate future.
Kyrie Irving's move to the Dallas Mavericks was one of the blockbuster trades ahead of this season's trade deadline. Irving was a part of trade rumors in the offseason. Needless to say, he was a rather volatile asset for Brooklyn to retain.
He put up some impressive numbers for the Nets. However, Irving and the team decided to move in different directions ahead of the deadline as the guard requested a trade.
Although several believed that this created the perfect situation for the Lakers to make a move and reunite Irving with LeBron James, the trade didn't come to pass. Instead, Irving found himself teaming up with Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
Irving's debut in a Mavs uniform was a success, as the game resulted in a win. Dallas followed this up with another win. However, Irving was playing without Doncic, who was recovering from an injury at the time.
Since the two joined forces, the Mavs have gone 1-5.
Needless to say, this spells trouble for Dallas. While this could be a chemistry mismatch that could be worked out with time, The Athletic's John Hollinger, a former executive, shared some concerns.
Hollinger mentioned in his article that the Mavericks could be dealing with a mixture of several internal conflicts. One of these could be Kyrie's "wandering eye" for the LA Lakers.
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Read: Kyrie Irving answers questions around long-term deal with the Mavericks puts "unwarranted distractions" on him and team
The LA Lakers can still land Kyrie Irving in the offseason
Realistically, the LA Lakers still have a chance of landing Kyrie Irving in the offseason. Irving is in the final year of a four-year deal that he signed with the Nets. This makes him a free agent next season. As such, he can join the Lakers, who have a lot of money coming off the books.
The only issue in question is whether Irving is worth the hassle. For all his talent, Irving brings a lot of external noise with him. Factoring in the kind of contract he will seek next season, the Lakers may have to pay a hefty price to sign the star.