Getty Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving
The Lakers should reunite LeBron James and Kyrie Irving during the offseason, they desperately need more talent and Irving would tip the scales and help lead them back to the playoffs.
I’m not saying it would be enough to secure an NBA championship in 2020 but it would give this team playoff contender status.
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are Friends Again
On January 16 Irving said he called James to “apologize for being that young player that wanted everything at his fingertips,” reported Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press:
“He’s been in this situation, been there with me, where I’ve been the young guy, been the 22-year-old kid, wanting everything, wanting everything right now,” Irving said. “The responsibility of being the best player in the world and leading a team is something that’s not meant for many people.
“And Bron was one of those guys that came to Cleveland and tried to really show us what it’s like to win a championship. And it was hard for him. Sometimes getting the most out of the group is not the easiest thing in the world. Fewer are meant for it or chosen for it. And I felt like the best person to call was him.”
Irving requested a trade from the Cavaliers because he didn’t want to play in James’ shadow but now he has a newfound respect for his former teammate after experiencing first hand the burden of leading a team.
Kyrie Irving could utilize the player option in his contract to become a free agent at the end of the season and the Lakers need all the help they can get, so upgrading the roster around LeBron James with someone who has great chemistry with him would be a smart move and there’s no divide between these two superstars anymore.
Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher said Irving has a legitimate interest in becoming teammates with James yet again:
While the news since last summer has been largely about stars not interested in being LeBron’s sidekick… a source close to the Celtics confirmed that Kyrie Irving is genuinely interested in reuniting with his former Cavaliers teammate. “That is for real,” the source said.
Kyrie Irving vs. Lonzo Ball
If Irving signs with the Lakers, one implication to consider is that Lonzo Ball would take a backseat to him, so the team would have to explore the possibility of trading him, which would not be a problem as they already attempted to part ways with him this season and his camp even leaked information about Ball’s desire to play for certain teams, including the Suns.
It’s clear that there’s tension between Ball and the Lakers and although he may eventually become an elite point guard, Irving is already one. He became a superstar during his six seasons with the Cavaliers, averaging 21.6 points, 5.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 381 games and winning one NBA Championship along the way.
Nowadays Irving is one of the best playmakers in the league, he’s averaged 23.9 points, 6.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 114 games with the Celtics over the last two seasons and he’s getting better, his true shooting percentage, box plus/minus (BPM) and PER have all improved despite similar usage rates and this happened not as a result of playing without LeBron James, this is more because of his maturity and growth as a player, so going to the Lakers won’t prevent him from continuing to evolve.
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