The Los Angeles Lakers are at the epicenter of the NBA’s rumor circles right now, with a real opportunity to trade for Anthony Davis. The disgruntled New Orleans Pelicans star made his request for a trade public early Monday morning to force the franchise’s hand.
Davis may not be the only superstar keen to join LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers, however. Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher reports that Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving may have his eyes set on a reunion of sorts:
The Lakers may need to get creative to force the Pelicans’ hand, but they have reason to be. While the news since last summer has been largely about stars not interested in being LeBron’s sidekick—George’s decision to re-sign with the Thunder, Jimmy Butler not having the Lakers on his reported preferred list and Kawhi Leonard reportedly favoring the Clippers—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.
Irving and James played together for three seasons before the young point guard demanded a trade and was shipped off to Boston. While the sentiment early in the season was that Irving would re-sign with the Celtics, the consensus on that probability seems to be shifting.
It’s important to note that Bucher is not one of the traditional news-breakers in the league, so taking this (and the timing of it) with a grain of salt is prudent.
That said, Irving has spoken at length about what he could have done better in his first go-around with James and those regrets could push him into finding a way in the purple and gold. Making the money work would be difficult for the Lakers if they trade for Davis but there are ways for Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka to create the next big three in the NBA,
