Los Angeles Lakers: Signing Kyrie Irving would be a positive

Kyrie Irving is a star that the Los Angeles Lakers can realistically sign during free agency. Would it be a positive or negative to bring him on?

As we all know, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James won a championship together with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. They didn’t just win, but they came back down 3-1 against a 73-win Warriors team, to win the championship. It was one of the most memorable moments in NBA history.

Kyrie left LeBron and the Cavs partly because LeBron did not commit to Cleveland before his contract was up, and partly because he wanted to be the leader of a team. Well, he got it in Boston, and let’s just say, it didn’t plan out how he envisioned it. The Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018, without Kyrie, but fell short to the Cavs in seven games.

This season, Kyrie was healthy during the playoffs, but they got eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. So what’s next for Kyrie Irving?

Kyrie wanted his own team, he got it, but couldn’t succeed. Now that he’s gotten the feel of having his own team, he may want to play with LeBron again, in hopes of winning another championship. But, if Kyrie does join the Lakers, what does that mean for the team and Lonzo Ball?

If Kyrie joins the Lakers, that will mean Lonzo Ball will either play at the shooting guard spot or be the backup point guard. Now, Alex Caruso had phenomenal performances toward the end of the season. So we may see a backcourt of Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, or Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart.

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That remains to be seen. I think Lonzo should come off the bench because he will have the ball in his hands more and will be able to dictate the offense. We saw his usage drop last season when LeBron and Lonzo were in at the same time, which is understandable, but if Lonzo comes off the bench and leads the second unit, not only will the team benefit, he will develop much more, gain more confidence, and not shy away from contact.

As for the Lakers as a team, if Kyrie Irving does sign with LA, this will be a big signing because they need a go-to player. We saw what Brandon Ingram is capable of towards the end of the season before he got injured. He was averaging 28.9 points per game post-All-Star break. But, why not form a big 3 in LeBron-Kyrie-Ingram, while having Lonzo run the show with the second unit? The backcourt of Lonzo and Caruso, off the bench, could be surprising to most people, but not for Lakers fans. They both are good defenders, Lonzo is a playmaker, Caruso can score and he makes the right play, whether it’s setting his teammates up for an open shot, or taking it in himself and scoring. It will be a fun backcourt to watch.

According to Brian Windhorst, Kyrie has “had discussions” about playing for the Lakers. Kyrie to the Lakers makes the most sense because the Celtics could not get past the second round this season after having high hopes. The Knicks have no one intriguing to pair up with Kyrie, unless they sign Kevin Durant. However, the Lakers have a solid young core, and arguably the best player in the NBA, LeBron James.

If Kyrie signs with the Lakers, they will make the playoffs, at least. It will be challenging to stop LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in the playoffs. They already proved themselves in the Eastern Conference by winning a championship against a great Warriors team.

Now, they could have a chance to do the same thing in the Western Conference. Not only will this be LeBron’s fourth ring, Kyrie’s second ring, and the young cores first ring, but it will be the Lakers seventeenth championship, which will be tied for the most championship won by an NBA team, ever. Signing Kyrie Irving is a positive for the Lakers, and they need to do everything possible to sign Irving in free agency.