Report: Kyrie Irving trying to recruit LeBron James to Dallas originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Kyrie Irving reportedly is interested in reuniting with LeBron James, and he wants to do it with his new team.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Monday that Irving has reached out to James about teaming up in Dallas.
Additionally, Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported that Irving wants the Mavericks to trade for James to form a big three with Luke Doncic.
Irving and James were teammates for three seasons in Cleveland. They reached the NBA Finals together three times and led the Cavaliers to their first championship in 2016.
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Irving was traded from the Cavs to the Boston Celtics in 2017, and James left Cleveland for Los Angeles the following offseason. Irving played two seasons in Boston and spent three-plus tumultuous seasons with the Brooklyn Nets before being dealt to the Mavericks ahead of the 2023 trade deadline. The Mavericks wound up finishing the season 38-44 and missing the play-in, while James’ Lakers got swept out of the Western Conference Finals.
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There has long been speculation about Irving and James teaming up again, but that hypothetical reunion was mostly thought to take place in L.A. Irving will be in control of where he plays next season since he is an unrestricted free agent, but James is still under contract with the Lakers after inking a two-year extension in 2022. James is due $46,900,000 next season and has a player option of $50,652,000 for the 2024-25 season.
Salaries and the new NBA collective bargaining agreement would make a James-Irving-Doncic trio tough to assemble. Doncic is due over $40 million, so unless Irving were to take a significant pay cut or James were to be bought out and take a reduced deal, the Mavericks – like all teams – will struggle to fit three max-level players on their payroll.
As for a James trade, there’s also a question about what the Mavericks could offer the Lakers. Dallas sent Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected first-round pick in 2029 and two second-round picks for Irving and Markieff Morris. The team owns the No. 10 draft pick in 2023, but outside of Irving, Doncic and picks, the only other intriguing assets are young contributors like Josh Green and Jaden Hardy.
Looming over the entire situation is James’ NBA status. Following the Lakers’ playoff exit, the 38-year-old said he wants to continue playing but admitted he had to think about it. Haynes reported at the time that retirement was under consideration.
NBA free agency begins on June 30, and all eyes will be on Irving and James throughout the offseason to see what their futures hold.
