In the City of Angels, LeBron James is doing whatever he can to get his friend, and former teammate, Kyrie Irving in a Lakers jersey. After three chaotic seasons in Brooklyn, Irving is widely expected to be traded this summer, and the Lakers have long been considered the favorites to land him.
So far, trade talks haven’t progressed very far and both sides find themselves in a stand-off as the offseason rages on. But pressure from LeBron James could force L.A.’s hand. According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, James has been pressing for the front office to pull off a deal for Irving sooner rather than later.
“Kyrie, I know he wants to be in LA. I know LeBron wants him in LA. He’s been behind the scenes putting some pressure.”
Report: “Kyrie, I know he wants to be in LA. I know LeBron wants him in LA. He’s been behind the scenes putting some pressure.”
(via @jovanbuha) pic.twitter.com/ThoaiPEWfk
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 8, 2022
It’s no surprise that James is desperate for a reunion with Uncle Drew. Despite his best efforts, the Russell Westbrook experiment has been a complete disaster, and replacing him with a proven winner in Kyrie would drastically alter the team’s title chances moving forward.
For Irving’s part, he is making his intentions known. After showing up to an LA Sparks game last night, it is widely believed that Kyrie will don the Purple and Gold eventually.
“Kyrie Irving absolutely wants to be a Los Angeles Laker,” said Brian Windhorst. “This we know. The Lakers want Kyrie Irving. This we know. But making that happen that’s a different story. We don’t really get a good feeling there’s any team seriously on the market for Kyrie right now beyond the Lakers. It’s doesn’t mean they don’t like him or value him, they just don’t want to pay a potential price the Nets are asking. This is one of those things where we just have to wait and see. I doubt Kyrie will be back [with Brooklyn], I think he’ll be on the Lakers, but I don’t know when it will happen.”
Of course, nothing is guaranteed in the NBA. While things appear to be headed one way now, everything could change in an instant.
If LeBron and Irving slow down now, they might have to postpone their reunion. Really, it’s these next few days and weeks that will ultimately determine the future of the Lakers and the rest of the NBA for that matter.
