The Lakers have long awaited signing a contract with the 8-time All-Star Kyrie Irving. But things did not pan out as they would have liked. Kyrie Irving played for the Cleveland Cavaliers for six years till 2017. He was part of the championship-winning team in 2016 along with LeBron James. The Lakers star mentioned several times that it would be great if Irving joined the team.
Kyrie Irving has been an asset for any team he has ever played. For the Brooklyn Nets, Irving played for four years, and the Nets would’ve liked to keep him their team. However, some unexpected scenarios happened, and the point guard requested a transfer. Apparently, that got a lot of teams excited before the trade deadline, and one of them was Los Angeles Lakers.
Why Did The Lakers Want To Buy Kyrie Irving?
It was a fascinating contest between many teams to buy him from the Nets. The Lakers were ahead in the race to buy the point guard but the offer Pelinka and co. presented did not quite interest the front office of the Nets. They finally traded Irving to the Dallas Mavericks. But things before the trade deadline kind of ended happily for the Lakers as they managed to buy quality players to fill in the gaps in their roster. Irving had a pretty good start for the Mavericks, winning the first couple of games. But things started to fall apart afterward.
The problem is if Irving had joined the Lakers, then he would reunite with LeBron James. But when he went to the Mavericks, the plan was that he would partner up with Luka Doncic. However, the first two games that the Mavericks won with Irving did not have Doncic in the line-up due to an injury. But after the return of Doncic, things started not working out for the team. The Maverick’s management thought Kyrie Irving, along with Luka Doncic and also Christian Wood, would get the team to be a championship contender.
Things Are Not Looking Good With Irving In The Mavericks
🏀 FINAL SCORE THREAD 🏀
— NBA (@NBA) March 3, 2023
Luka and Kyrie showed out in the @dallasmavs W, becoming the first duo in franchise history to drop 40+ PTS in the same game!
Kyrie: 40 PTS, 4 REB, 6 AST, 6 3PM
Embiid: 35 PTS, 8 REB
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📲 https://t.co/WFdLNEjikq pic.twitter.com/qRq4vg89BU
On the contrary, after Doncic came back from injury and partnered up with Irving, the Mavericks lost four, and won only one. Hence as things stand, Kyrie Irving and the Mavericks won’t like to extend their contract after the summer. Then it will be interesting to see if the Lakers again jump on the opportunity. Whether they want to buy the point guard if he becomes a free agent in the summer. But the problem for the Lakers is that they had already filled up their boxes. They are happy with quality buys before the trade deadline.
Would Rob Pelinka and Coach Darvin Ham want to reshuffle their roster for Kyrie Irving? To buy Kyrie Irving, the Lakers may have to give up on quality assets. Maybe some from the first-round picks of the following seasons. Are they willing to take that chance just to reunite James and Irving? The Lakers have a good chance to qualify for the play-in round, if not directly to the playoffs. The team looks balanced, and all after Russell Westbrook is gone. But the only concern for the Lakers are injuries and totally fit players. If they fix that issue, then the Lakers can play the postseason this year after all.
