Kyrie Irving is heading into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. The 31-year-old obviously wants to sign a max contract, and his best option is to do it with the Dallas Mavericks.
But signing with the Mavericks would close the door shut on his potential reunion with LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers, at least, that’s what most thought. ESPN’s Zach Lowe explained in a recent episode of ‘The Lowe Post’ that Kyrie could still join the Lakers in the future even if he re-signs with the Mavericks this summer.
NBA Fans React After Heat Suffer Blowout Finals Loss InGame 3: “Nikola Jokic Is Unstoppable”
Lakers, Bucks, Clippers, And Celtics Looking To Sign Chris Paul
“I don’t think they’ve shut the door completely on Kyrie coming to the Lakers at some point,” Lowe said. “Just because it doesn’t happen this summer, if it doesn’t happen this summer, doesn’t mean it can’t ever happen. I don’t think that door is closed.”
(Starts at 1:12:30)
Since the Dallas Mavericks own Kyrie’s Bird rights, they can offer him a contract of up to $272 million over five years. On the other hand, if he decides to sign with any other team, the maximum contract he can get will be worth $202 million over four years.
Considering Irving is already 31 years old, it seems like a no-brainer move to get more money. The Mavericks still have a superstar in Luka Doncic alongside him. Thus, he can compete to win the second NBA Championship of his career. It’s no surprise that he apparently has a handshake deal with the Mavericks to re-sign this summer.
For the 2022-23 NBA season, Kyrie averaged 27.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 6.0 APG, as the Mavericks finished with a 38-44 record.
Kyrie Irving Wants People Not To Think That He Wants To Be On The Lakers
Kyrie Irving has been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers over the last couple of seasons. But the two sides are yet to finalize a deal that fans have been waiting for.
Irving is apparently frustrated with seeing rumors about a potential move to the Lakers. The 2016 NBA champion wants these rumors to stop, per NBA insider Marc Stein.
“Consistently expressed a desire to remain a Maverick and actually wants to shut down the notion that he’s angling to get to L.A.,” Stein said. “He wants to stay.”
Although Kyrie doesn’t want to be a Laker, he still expressed his desire to play with James on the Mavericks. But trading for LeBron is easier said than done, regardless of how much Irving wants it to happen.
