The departure of Kyrie Irving from the Boston Celtics has been one of the most talked about topics in the league since the 2018 NBA offseason. The rumors somewhat died down when Irving publicly stated his desire to re-sign with the Celtics in the 2019 NBA free agency. However, when the drama started to build around the Celtics earlier in the 2018-19 NBA season, the speculations that the All-Star point guard will leave Boston started to heat up once again.
The outcome of the 2018-19 NBA season is expected to play a major role in Kyrie Irving’s free agency decision. In the recent episode of The Herd , which is currently posted on Twitter , Fox Sports 1 analyst Chris Broussard said that if Irving really wanted to be a leader of a team, he could re-sign with the Celtics or join the New York Knicks or the Brooklyn Nets. However, if he wants to return to his former role, Broussard suggested that Irving may consider reuniting with LeBron James in Los Angeles.
“Kyrie has to ask himself: Do I want the responsibility of being the team leader? If he does, he’ll either stay in Boston, go to New York or Brooklyn. If he decides I just want to ball and win titles, he could look at joining LeBron with the Lakers.”
The reunion between LeBron James and Kyrie Irving is something that most NBA fans aren’t expecting to happen anytime soon. However, anything is possible in the NBA, especially now that the Lakers are in dire need of a legitimate superstar to pair with James in order to make a huge impact in the deep Western Conference. Since acquiring James in the recent free agency, Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and General Manager Rob Pelinka made it clear that they are not done yet in upgrading their roster.
They purposely filled their roster with one-year contracts to maintain their salary cap flexibility for the summer of 2019. If Kyrie Irving will decide to entertain offers from other NBA teams, it will not be a surprise if the Lakers join the mix of potential suitors. LeBron James will surely love the idea of teaming up with Irving once again. Unlike the first time they played together in Cleveland, Irving now understands what it feels to be in James’ position.
However, the tandem of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving may not be enough to help the Lakers defeat the reigning NBA champions, Golden State Warriors, in a best-of-seven series. In order to have a strong chance of winning their second NBA championship title together, James and Irving should push the Lakers to engage in a blockbuster deal with the New Orleans Pelicans to acquire Anthony Davis.
