Is Kyrie Irving trying to convince LeBron James to join him on the Dallas Mavericks?

Far be it from the Mavericks star to steal attention with his comments, but it seems the NBA Finals need to take a backseat for moment with reports indicating that he would like the Lakers icon to have a reunion with him in Dallas? Could this really happen?

Is Kyrie Irving trying to get LeBron James to join the Mavericks?

With the Heat and Nuggets currently tied 1-1 in the NBA Finals, you’d think that’s where the focus of fans would be, however, there are 28 other teams in the league who will be starting to make moves in the coming days and even more so with free agency set to begin on June 30th. One such team is the Dallas Mavericks and at the center of the chatter is a recent report from Shams Charania, in which he suggested that the Mavs’ point guard, Kyrie Irving had made contact with LeBron James to discuss the possibility of the James joining the Dallas Mavericks.

Now to be clear, there has been no official word from Irving nor James to say that such a conversation actually took place, but rest assured if it then that’s interesting indeed. As mentioned, free agency is fast approaching and Irving himself is set to unrestricted free agency, something he’s actually been aggressively trying not to discuss, despite rumors which have linked him with a possible move to the Lakers, as well as resigning with the Mavericks. On the other hand, if Charania’s report is to be believed, it appears Irving would like to have his cake and be able to eat it too.

Kyrie Irving and LeBron James have history

You may recall, that not long-ago Irving and James won a championship together while playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. Of course, the successful partnership was brought to an end in a surprising way when Irving requested a trade to the Boston Celtics, however, word on the street has always been that the pair maintained an interest in playing together again. Indeed, we saw that first-hand earlier this year when Irving requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. There were countless reports - some on this very page - in which a potential move to LA seemed to be on the cards, something James himself admitted he would like. Ultimately, the Mavericks came out of nowhere with a better offer and the deal was done. Now, Irving is set for free agency as we mentioned before i.e., in theory he could head to LA. To be honest, that seems a more plausible idea than James ending up in Dallas.

What’s LeBron James’ situation?

Under contract is what LeBron’s situation is and for the upcoming 2023-24 season, though he does have a player option which he can opt out of next summer. What this means, is that the only way the pair can play together again is if James was traded to Dallas, something Irving seems interested in having the franchise explore in an effort to form a ‘big three’ with Slovenian star, Luka Doncic according to reports. Needless to say, that would require the Mavericks to cough up a whole lot if they intend to absorb James’ estimated $46.9 million salary for next season.

Ultimately, any deal to bring James to Dallas would not only be massive, but extremely difficult. On the other hand, it would likely kill two birds with one stone. For starters there’s no doubt the Mavericks would immediately become contenders after what has got to be considered a disappointing campaign - they failed to make the playoffs. Then there is James, who hinted at retirement after what was surely a bitter pill to swallow when the Lakers were swept in the Western Conference Finals by the Denver Nuggets. This is to say, that both parties would be granted a new lease on life and that’s before we reiterate the idea that both James and Irving want to play together. Watch this space.