Kyrie Irving raised some eyebrows when he chose to attend Game 6 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies last month.
He was then courtside for Game 4 between the Lakers and the Denver Nuggets and NBA insider Brian Windhorst believes it is a ploy to get a better deal from the Dallas Mavericks. He also thinks that the reports linking James Harden to the Houston Rockets are coming out for the same reason.
“I also think that both of them, Kyrie showing up at Laker games, James Harden being rumored to be attached to the Rockets, I still suspect that all of that is just one giant leverage play,” Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective. “That, what James Harden really wants is to elicit the biggest offer out of the Sixers even if it isn’t a max… And I think that Kyrie could be doing the exact same thing. Just doing all of this, and whatever he may do between now and free agency to try to get the juiciest offer he can from the team that he’s on. Because those are the teams that face the most damage for losing those guys.”
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It certainly could be possible, as the Mavericks and Rockets cannot afford to lose those two. Kyrie leaving would be a disastrous outcome for the Mavs who gave up some valuable assets to get him just a few months back. If he leaves for nothing, you would believe it just makes it even likelier that Luka Doncic would also leave in the coming years.
The Mavericks have almost no choice but to give Kyrie what he wants and his attending games of the team that he has repeatedly been linked with for months seems like a warning shot being fired at them.
Signs Are Pointing To Kyrie Irving Staying With The Mavericks But That Might Change Because Of LeBron James
Some NBA agents stated recently that they expect Kyrie to stay with the Mavs. There have also been multiple reports by now that state the Lakers aren’t interested in Irving. NBA analyst Bobby Marks also feels it is unlikely that the team pursues Kyrie but all of this could change because of LeBron James.
LeBron hinted at retirement after the Lakers were swept out of the playoffs and Kevin O’Connor believes he could have said it to pressure the team into acquiring Irving. If James does give some sort of ultimatum to the team that he would retire if they don’t get Kyrie, then the Lakers would have no choice but to pursue him.
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