Well, those Kyrie Irving to the Los Angeles Lakers rumors are getting killed quickly, huh. Before the start of the postseason, there was talk about the star point guard reuniting with LeBron James in LA. The team was pushing hard to trade for the star PG. After this season's run to the Western Conference Finals, that stance has seemingly changed. Marc Stein is just the latest to report about a Kyrie Irving trade being unlikely.
“While we await a clear indication about the Lakers’ intentions there, with no verifiable signal to date that pursuing Irving is among their offseason priorities, league sources say that the Mavericks would have no interest in a sign-and-trade with the Lakers that features D'Angelo Russell as the primary Dallas-bound player.”
After what they saw from this roster this offseason, it's clear that pursuing another ball-handler like Kyrie is not the Lakers' top priority. Austin Reaves emerged as a great option to pick up the slack when LeBron is on the bench. With Reaves due for a big-time extension, the Lakers aren't exactly itching to trade for another ball-handler that will command another big extension, even if it means getting rid of the struggling D'Angelo Russell.
As for the Mavs, all signs point to them looking to keep Kyrie Irving in Dallas as much as possible. Even if Kyrie does request a trade, it's been reported that the team will not help facilitate a sign-and-trade. They are putting all of their eggs into the Irving basket. Whether that's a good idea or not is a different question, but that's the direction they're headed.
Besides, the Lakers have other issues that they need to address before thinking about stars like Irving. The lack of a serviceable back-up big man clearly hurt LA's chances of winning against Denver. Running this core of Reaves, LeBron, and Anthony Davis back with a more well-rounded crew is the way to go.
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