While the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to earn a spot in the NBA Playoffs and make some noise, the front office should keep one eye toward the summer and come up with a game plan on what the team is going to do in the offseason.
There are a few tasks that the Lakers should already be working on as the team has legitimate potential to build on a strong second half of the 2022-23 season with a good offseason. However, the front office could also mess things up with another disastrous mistake.
That disastrous mistake would be sacrificing the youth and depth on the roster to bring in Kyrie Irving. Irving is a great player but we have already seen this song and dance with Russell Westbrook. Kyrie is better than Russ but he also hasn’t equated to much winning and has been more of a distraction. Just look at the Dallas Mavericks, who are 5-15 since trading for Kyrie.
All that being said, a former teammate of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving thinks that their story is not finished. Former Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson (who just worked out with the Lakers and impressed LeBron) admits that he has been pushing to get the duo back together on ‘The Draymond Green Show‘.
"It was almost like a match made in heaven... it's not over yet"
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 25, 2023
—@RealTristan13 tells @Money23Green why he still wants to see the LeBron-Kyrie reunion pic.twitter.com/n8OwhbuV2H
Lakers rumors: Tristan Thompson thinks LeBron James and Kyrie Irving aren’t finished.
Luckily, Tristan Thompson is not the one calling the shots for the Lakers. However, he is someone who is represented by Klutch Sports and is at least somewhat in the loop when it comes to LeBron’s camp.
LeBron made it very clear after the Lakers didn’t trade for Irving that he was disappointed it didn’t happen. With Thompson comments in mind, fans cannot rule out the possibility of LeBron trying to play GM and demand Kyrie joins the Lakers.
This would be bad for LA. Controversy has followed Kyrie everywhere he has played and it didn’t take very long for Dallas to fall off a cliff and Luka Doncic to seem miserable. Plus, there is the decent chance that LeBron leaves after the 2023-24 season to go play with his son, Bronny James.
LA would have to give up youth and serious financial flexibility to get Irving only so LeBron can bounce a year later? That sounds like a horrible trade-off. Shortly thereafter Kyrie would make it apparent that he was no longer happy but LA wouldn’t be able to trade him because of his long-term contract.
Maybe Thompson is right and the LeBron-Kyrie story isn’t over. It just should happen on whichever team drafts Bronny that LeBron leaves LA for.