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The Dallas Mavericks have no interest in a sign-and-trade deal with the Los Angeles Lakers that features the team getting D’Angelo Russell in exchange for Kyrie Irving, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
All indications are that the Mavericks remain intent on re-signing Irving, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
“While we await a clear indication about the Lakers’ intentions [regarding free agency], 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,” Stein wrote. “All indications are that the Mavericks remain intent on re-signing Irving.”
LeBron James wants the Lakers to replace Russell with Irving, sources told Heavy Sports. However, Los Angeles doesn’t have the cap space to sign Irving, who is looking for a max contract.
For the Lakers to acquire Irving, it would require a sign-and-trade deal with the Mavericks and it sounds like Dallas has no interest in doing that.
The Mavs Don’t Plan to Assist Any Other Team in Acquiring Kyrie Irving
The Mavericks don’t plan to assist any other team in acquiring Irving, according to Tim Cato of The Athletic.
“It requires tact, but the Mavericks should simply tell Irving upfront what contract they would like for him to re-sign, and while he certainly has the right to leave, they don’t plan to assist any other team in acquiring him,” Cato wrote. “They have the most appealing offer. Whether or not it’s wise to gamble this team’s future on Irving is another question entirely. But in trading for him, it seems clear this team’s path forward is re-signing him.”
If the NBA operates with a $134 million salary cap, Irving would be eligible to re-sign with the Mavericks on a five-year, $272 million contract. The eight-time All-Star averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 20 games with Dallas this season.
“I hear he’s going back to Dallas on a 3+1 [a player option on the fourth year]. His contract will line up [identically] with Luka’s,” one player agent told Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.
LeBron James Is Not a Fan of D’Angelo Russell
James is not a fan of Russell, according to Heavy Sports senior insider Sean Deveney.
Russell played poorly in the Western Conference Finals versus the Denver Nuggets, averaging just 6.3 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 32.3% from the field and 13.3% from beyond the arc.
The Lakers got swept by the Nuggets.
“I hate to say one playoff series can change a franchise’s whole outlook on a guy because that just does not happen, but it is happening with some of the people in that building, maybe most significantly, with LeBron,” one Western Conference executive told Deveney. “Is this a guy they want to invest in? Does LeBron want him back — there is talk that he is not Russell’s biggest fan.”
Russell becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer like Irving. The Ohio State product would like to re-sign with the Lakers, sources told Heavy Sports.
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