An NBA executive asserts LeBron James will be joined by Kyrie Irving at the Lakers
Guard Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics is allegedly “more receptive” than before to heading for the Los Angeles Lakers in the next free agency period. The relationship between Kyrie Irving and James has reportedly “thawed” recently, which might make Los Angeles an option for Kyrie, claims ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Compared to the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, the Lakers are “lower on the list” for Irving, according to Windhorst, who also noted that they are still functioning and that Boston must be “worried” that L.A. might steal him.
When Kyrie requested a trade, Irving and James had a bitter breakup in Cleveland. In August 2017, the Cavaliers sent Irving to Boston. The deal was influenced by Kyrie’s ambition to take the lead and escape LeBron’s shadow, but Irving and James quickly patched things up.
Irving admitted in January that he contacted James to apologize for not understanding how hard it was to coach a championship winning team while in Cleveland. The Cavaliers were led by James and Irving to three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals, and they won the franchise’s first championship in 2016 by leading the league in scoring. Kyrie Irving is a reasonable target for the Lakers since LeBron James is in dire need of a star to play beside him in Los Angeles.
After Boston’s second-round loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference playoffs in five games, Irving’s career with the Celtics is in doubt. Boston advanced to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last year despite Kyrie’s absence from the postseason as the Celtics relied on young players like Jayson Tatum, Terry Rozier, and Jaylen Brown.