Getty Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics, who is a possible free agent target for the Lakers this offseason.
It is officially free agency season for the Los Angeles Lakers who once again missed the playoffs. After luring LeBron to the purple and gold last season, expectations are sky high in Los Angeles to land another star player. The 2019 free agent class is loaded and a number of top names have been linked to the Lakers, however, Kyrie Irving’s name stands out among the rest.
After publicly demanding a trade out of Cleveland with the hope of leading his own team, Kyrie and the Boston Celtics struggled upon his return from injury. Kyrie even publicly admitted to calling LeBron for advice as the two repaired their friendship.
With Kyrie eligible (and almost certain to) opt out of the final year of his contract and hit free agency, rumblings of a possible reunion with his former teammate in Los Angeles have been swirling. In fact, Kyrie was even recently spotted in L.A. doing a bit of shopping.
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WATCH: Kyrie Irving Spotted in L.A. as Lakers Rumors Swirl
In the midst of his name being tossed around free agency rumors, Kyrie Irving was spotted out in Los Angeles, where two teams with enough money to bring him on with a max contract reside. While the Clippers plan to be aggressive in free agency, the Lakers are the big fish in the pond. On the precipice of returning to competitive relevance on a national level, the Lakers could be looking to reunite the dynamic duo of Irving and James and put a younger and more dynamic supporting cast around them.
The video of Kyrie shopping in Los Angeles during his off months should be taken with a grain of salt as Los Angeles is a hotbed for the NBA. With a number of top players either hailing from or residing in LA, players from across the league are in and out of the city throughout the offseason.
However, Irving had a very public rebuilding of bridges with his former teammate in LeBron and is clearly annoyed with the way the Boston media handled the past season. With both LeBron and Kobe Bryant in full-blown recruiting mode, it isn’t out of the question to think that Irving was in LA while SOMEONE close to the Laker organization pitched him on the possibility of rejoining LeBron.
How Does Kyrie Irving Fit on the Los Angeles Lakers?
The Lakers would most likely need to do a bit of restructuring if they decide to bring on Kyrie Irving. As Irving and Lonzo Ball play the same position, the Lakers would almost certainly be looking to move Ball prior to the season in order to recoup some usable assets. Irving has already shown himself to be a perfect fit alongside LeBron and a player that can be relied on to get big buckets late.
While the Lakers wouldn’t have much cap space after signing Kyrie, as long as they can find a relatively competent center for cheap (like JaVale McGee) they should be able to run out a fairly deep and talented lineup. The duo of James and Irving paired with the emerging Brandon Ingram, in particular, could be an extremely dangerous offensive unit.
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