The Los Angeles Lakers just won their second game in a row, going up against the Dallas Mavericks. Winning the game by a 17-point margin, the Lakers managed to avoid a season sweep at the hands of Dallas, having lost their previous two games to Luka Doncic and the Mavs whenever they met.
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The Los Angeles Lakers lost their previous two matchups with the Dallas Mavericks by a two and three-point margin respectively. No wonder LeBron James dug deep in his bag of tricks this time around and went off for 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, rallying his team to victory.
After the game, veteran NBA analyst Skip Bayless took to X(Formerly Twitter) to talk about the game. Skip questioned the rumors of LeBron James needing assistance from players of the caliber of Kyrie Irving, as rumors had suggested all offseason long.
“And I keep reading LeBron needs help, needs Kyrie??? I sure couldn’t tell tonight.”
Skip Bayless slyly highlighted the horrendous game Kyrie Irving had while facing off against his former teammate. Irving played a total of 32 minutes on the floor and finished the game with just 12 points against his former teammate. Not Irving’s best, to say the absolute least.
Kyrie Irving may have had 6 assists and 5 rebounds to go along with that statline but his shooting percentage indicated otherwise. Uncle Drew shot 4-16 from the field and 1-5 from beyond the arc, rounding up his field goal percentage to 25 and 20% from the three-point line.
The reason why Skip Bayless highlighted Irving’s poor game in such a manner was because of the rumors going around. Those very rumors state that Irving is interested in joining the Los Angeles Lakers this season.
According to Spotrac.com, Kyrie Irving signed a 3-year/$120 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks at the start of this season. But even as the Mavs performing well, Irving’s willingness to meet other teams does strike some fear in the hearts of Dallas fans.
Will Irving jump ship to reunite with LeBron James?
When Kyrie Irving got traded to the Dallas Mavericks last season, both Irving and the team’s front office did not see eye to eye when talking about the eight-time All-Star’s contract extension details. But both Irving and the Mavs did work things out by the start of this season.
However, before things finally fell in place for the 2012 Rookie of the Year, he was spotted in attendance at Game 6 between the Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies. It was also reported that Irving was eager to team up with LeBron James once again. In fact, he secured those court-side seats in the hopes of convincing the four-time NBA champion to consider a reunion.
Whether Kyrie Irving does pack his bags and move to Los Angeles, it would be noteworthy to point out that the 2016 NBA champion has been having quite the season with Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks so far.
Though Irving has only played 25 games this season while dealing with injuries, he has been averaging 25.8 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 5.0 RPG so far. Not only that but the Mavericks are far ahead of the Lakers despite LA boasting three All-Stars on their roster.
Irving may be tempted to team up with LeBron James and relive the same chemistry these two had in Cleveland. But the 31-year-old guard must take into consideration that James is now in his twilight years. James and Irving may have one successful season or even two. But he already has the chance to make somewhat of a duo with Doncic that would last longer than his short stint with LBJ and the Lakers.
Only time will tell what Kyrie Irving decides to do as the trade deadline approaches. Fans ought to keep their eyes peeled for any major alerts that have the potential to change the dynamic of the league in an instant.
