In perhaps the most important offseason in team history, the Los Angeles Lakers will be armed with the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and a max-contract slot in free agency.
While all of the attention is on the Anthony Davis trade rumors, there is a scenario where the Lakers can sign a second All-Star player and keep the young core.
Due to the unfortunate injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, there is uncertainty heading into June 30.
As for Kyrie Irving, he is not expected to re-sign with the Boston Celtics, according to Steve Bulpett of Boston Herald:
According to a source with ties to Roc Nation, the organization expected to become Irving’s new representative, the All-Star point guard is prepared to sign with the Brooklyn Nets when he becomes a free agent next month. A separate league source told the Herald that his team (not the Celtics) has received the same information and is operating under the belief that Irving wants to join the Nets.
Although Irving has been heavily linked to the Brooklyn Nets, the Lakers reportedly are not ‘out of the running’ to sign him either, according to Ian Begley of SportsNet New York:
As of late this week, teams interested in pursuing Kyrie Irving remained under the impression that the Nets were the odds-on favorite to land the point guard, per sources. But no team interested in Irving, including the Knicks and Lakers, had been led to believe that they are out of the running to sign him, those sources say.
Out of all the free agents, Durant’s injury will likely impact Irving’s decision the most. Throughout the 2018-19 NBA season, there were multiple reports about the two All-Star players teaming up with one of the New York teams.
At this point, Irving may be better off being patient and seeing what other teams like the Lakers do. With or without Davis, Irving reuniting with LeBron James in Los Angeles is his best option since there is no guesswork between them.
After Irving apologized to James for how he acted during their three seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the former reportedly is at least ‘more open’ about the possibility.