The Los Angeles Lakers do wish to be part of the winning circle again and signing up LeBron James last year represented one of the important steps the team needs to take. They must add another All-Star and among the names floated was Kyrie Irving. There is a possibility though that any of the two will not play for the Lakers once the NBA Season 2019-20 begins.
The talent vacuum on the side of Lakers seems to get stronger by the day and the desperation appears to have rubbed on King James if the new story from Lakers Nation is to be believed. The blog site claimed James is likely to get out of LA if the team's ongoing search for another superstar proved unsuccessful.
Already empty-handed, the LA front office will have to deal with a miffed James demanding a trade, the report said, pointing to Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times as a source of the rumor.
"Somebody very connected said, "You know what, if they whiff, LeBron's going to say either, 'I'm out of here' or 'Get me out of here,' or the Lakers better just might as well just get him out of here," the sports journalist was reported as saying.
"I'm hearing that if they whiff on free agency, and if they whiff on a trade ... the LeBron era could be over before it starts here," added Plaschke
As the NBA free agency nears, there have been talks that the Lakers are targeting to land big names such as Kawhi Leonard, Dwayne Wade, Anthony Davis, and Kyrie Irving. To date, however, the signs remain scarce that the team is close to landing a player of All-Star status.
Specifically, this likely is the case with Irving, who has been long-rumored to play again with James and win an NBA title as a Laker. Citing ESPN as the source, Clutch Points is reporting that Irving has already made known his preferred team after playing for the Boston Celtics.
Irving is picking the Brooklyn Nets over any other suitors. The Nets having Irving is not a problem. The team can make arrangements for two superstars with super-max paychecks so a room for Irving seems most certainly.
Plus the Nets serve as a big attraction to Irving or any other free agents. It is a rising team and has the potential to collect multiple titles, the blog report added.
The Lakers seemingly losing its chance on Irving's free agency would be a big blow on the team's aspiration of playing on the NBA Finals again. But even more devastating is how James would receive the news of the Lakers gradually losing grip on possible superstar recruits.
Summer is shaping up as an interesting NBA season break. It could be that James will be joining the ranks of superstars in search of a new home, and Los Angeles is not on their radar.
