ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith believes Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving could explore a potential reunion with former teammate LeBron James as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers during his unrestricted free agency this summer.
The recent call with James to address his departure and apologize for his erroneous ways of handling a trade out of the Cleveland Cavaliers might have opened the window for a potential reunion between the two.
Smith dealt his take during Thursday morning's First Take.
Via Andrew Joseph of USA TODAY Sports:
“And so now we have a situation where I know nothing about this. I haven't asked. I'm just referring to a text I received last night. I will never say who it is. Never. But it says, ‘Hey, a bit easier to come to L.A. now.' And you have people in the NBA that are now believing if indeed the Boston Celtics, loaded with talent, Danny Ainge being the genius that he is as an executive, knowing that he has enough talent not to stick with Kyrie. … All of the sudden there's another guy that's gonna be on the free-agent market this summer. It's gonna be Kyrie Irving.”
Irving attributed his abrupt exit to being young and wanting everything right away — the success, the fame and the leadership aspect of basketball. Now in his second season with Boston and a less-than-desired start to the season, the 26-year-old is realizing that leading has its kinks, kinks LeBron James tried to work through patiently during his tenure in Cleveland.
While the two could join up again, the window has likely passed, unless Irving is willing to play second fiddle for two more seasons with the Lakers before inheriting the title of No. 1 option as James' body slows down.
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