Will LeBron James have the final say in Los Angeles?
Assuming the whispers around the league that LeBron James wants the Lakers to pursue Kyrie Irving this offseason are accurate, there’s a very real scenario that could be playing out in the shadows that LeBron (and his camp) are trying to apply pressure for the Lakers to do what he wants them to do. And that theory began shortly after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs when it was reported that LeBron considered retirement (or is considering retirement).
It’s easy to see how that could be viewed as somewhat of a bargaining chip – “trade or sign my guy, or I’m retiring.” Though, that seems to rarely work out. Considering that, perhaps this is the next bargaining chip that LeBron’s camp is playing.
“Kyrie is recruiting LeBron to Dallas.”
This could insinuate that the Mavs are a threat to pry LeBron away from the Lakers and if the Lakers don’t do anything to appease LeBron, he’s going to consider it. Then again, the Lakers don’t have to do anything. LeBron is under contract and they could just tell him to kick rocks.
They probably wouldn’t and would likely honor his trade demand, but it’s a possible scenario that LeBron’s camp has to at least consider.
Ultimately, this is likely a plow that could apply pressure on the Lakers to try to do everything in their power to land Kyrie this offseason. And honestly, I don’t think you can argue that there’s a better chance that Kyrie is on the Lakers than LeBron is on the Mavs by the end of his offseason.
This may all just be the second step to getting Kyrie to Los Angeles.