Kyrie Irving Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Stein’s Latest: Irving, Russell, Wizards, M. Williams, Raptors

May 28th, 2023 at 8:58am CST by Arthur Hill

If the Lakers opt to pursue Kyrie Irving in free agency, the Mavericks wouldn’t be interested in taking back free agent guard D’Angelo Russell as the primary player in a sign-and-trade deal, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack column.

There hasn’t been any concrete information that trying to sign Irving is part of the Lakers’ offseason plans, Stein adds, but there’s plenty of speculation that LeBron James would like to reunite with his former Cavaliers teammate. L.A. was heavily rumored as a possible destination for Irving when he considered opting out of his contract last summer and again when he asked the Nets for a trade in February.

James’ retirement talk after being swept by Denver is widely seen as a message to the Lakers’ front office that a roster upgrade is needed, but Stein isn’t convinced that they’ll be active on the free agent market. He states that the team’s preferred plan is to reach new deals with two of its own free agents, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. It’s less certain that L.A. wants to keep Russell after his disastrous performance in the Western Conference Finals, Stein adds.

The Mavericks appear committed to keeping Irving after paying a high price to acquire him from Brooklyn, according to Stein. A report last weekend indicated that a “handshake deal” may already be in place for Irving to remain in Dallas.

Stein passes along more inside information:

Teams around the league are expecting new Wizards president Michael Winger to be aggressive in trying to reshape the roster this summer, but Bradley Beal‘s no-trade clause may complicate his plans. Stein points out that Beal has four seasons left on his five-year, $251MM contract and can’t be sent to any other team unless he agrees to the deal. Stein also wonders how the front office change will affect Kristaps Porzingis, who reportedly began extension talks in March.
Kevin Ollie and Charles Lee were set for second interviews this week for the Pistons‘ head coaching vacancy, but Stein hears that the team hasn’t given up on its pursuit of Monty Williams. The former Suns head coach reportedly turned down a “big-money” offer from Detroit, but some members of the organization are hoping he might reconsider.
A source tells Stein that Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez is a legitimate candidate to become the Raptors‘ new head coach.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Offseason, Kyrie, Prospects

May 25th, 2023 at 8:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-NBA Lakers small forward LeBron James surprised the basketball world at large on Monday when he suggested he would be contemplating retirement this offseason.

Shams Charania said on FanDuel TV (Twitter video link) that he believes the 19-time All-Star will stick around at least a while longer.

“My sense is LeBron could have two years left remaining in his his career,” Charania said. “… There’s certainly an expectation that he’s gonna continue playing, he’s got two years left on his Lakers deal. … It would be a true surprise if he really did actually retire.”

There’s more out of Los Angeles:

The Lakers only have three guaranteed contracts on their books for 2023/24. Multiple league executives spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy.com about what Los Angeles might decide to do this offseason in terms of roster construction. The team has a player option on swingman Malik Beasley, which one executive expects the club to pick up. “He can be a contributor, really on any team,” they said. “The expectation is they’ll keep him. He can be a good trade piece if you need one. It’s just, if the tax is a big worry, he’d be the easy piece to move off of.” Following some big playoff games essentially in Beasley’s stead, unrestricted free agent Lonnie Walker IV may get more money elsewhere, another executive speculates. “I can’t see how they can pay him, he is probably a goner,” the exec said.
James’ former Cavaliers teammate Kyrie Irving, now an unrestricted free agent, has long been seen as a potential fit for Los Angeles. Jason Lloyd and Jon Greenberg of The Athletic weigh the pros and cons of adding an erratic, controversial talent of Irving’s caliber and price tag.
The Lakers, possessors of the Nos. 17 and 47 picks in this year’s draft, will work out six young prospects on Friday, headlined by G League Ignite small forward Leonard Miller, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Virginia guard Kihei Clark, Kentucky forward Chris Livingston, Pepperdine forward Maxwell Lewis, Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II, and Baylor guard Adam Flagler round out the invitees.

“Handshake Deal” For Kyrie Irving In Dallas?

May 22nd, 2023 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Representatives of rival teams at last week’s NBA Draft Combine expect Kyrie Irving to re-sign with the Mavericks this summer, writes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Dallas missed the playoffs after acquiring Irving from Brooklyn in a February trade and he often appeared to be an awkward fit alongside Luka Doncic, but sources tell Pincus that the Mavs didn’t trade for Irving as a short-term experiment.

“I hear they had a handshake deal before the trade,” one of Pincus’ sources said. “And Kyrie wouldn’t have said yes to anything less than the max.”

Irving will be eligible for a new five-year contract in Dallas that could be worth $272MM, Pincus adds. Although he was an All-Star this season for the 10th time in his career, off-court incidents in Brooklyn — and Boston and Cleveland before that — may limit the number of teams interested in signing him.

“I’m not sure what the market is for Kyrie, but no one with cap room is giving it to Kyrie,” another source told Pincus. “He comes with too much drama.”

Pincus talked to an agent who expects Irving to receive a four-year deal with a player option on the final season. It would be worth about $201MM in guaranteed money and would line up with Doncic, who can opt out of his current contract in 2026.

In an appearance Monday on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Brian Windhorst suggested that the Lakers shouldn’t be dismissed as a possible Irving suitor (video link). L.A. was reportedly interested in Irving when he considered opting out of his contract last summer and again when he submitted a trade request to the Nets in February.

Windhorst admits the Lakers would have to give up most of the assets they just acquired in order to sign Irving outright, but he says the landscape could be more favorable if Dallas would agree to a sign-and-trade. Regardless, Windhorst added that it helps Irving’s negotiating position if he can convince the Mavericks that L.A. is interested.

Pincus also talked with several sources who expect Dallas to be a potential landing spot for Suns center Deandre Ayton, who shares an agent with Doncic.

“The Suns need depth,” a source told Pincus. “I can see them getting Tim Hardaway Jr., JaVale (McGee) back, Josh Green and No. 10 (draft pick). Phoenix would probably flip the pick to another team for depth, or maybe it’d be a big multi-team deal.”

Pincus lists Maxi Kleber, Davis Bertans, Reggie Bullock and Jaden Hardy as other players who might be moved in a hypothetical Ayton trade, but he notes that Kleber is among Doncic’s best friends on the team, which gives Dallas incentive to keep him.

Southwest Notes: Kidd, Kyrie, Mavs, Bates, Pelicans, Grizzlies

May 5th, 2023 at 9:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Head coach Jason Kidd hopes Kyrie Irving — an impending free agent — spends the rest of his career with the Mavericks, he told Rachel Nichols of Showtime (Twitter video link).

“I think he truly is happy here, but that doesn’t guarantee us that he’s going to stay,” Kidd said (hat tip to NJ.com contributor Adam Zagoria). ” … We’re going to do everything to keep him. At the end of the day it’s his decision, we’ll see what that is. But at the end, we hope that we’ve done everything to make him comfortable, and want to be a Mav for life.”

A five-year, maximum-salary offer for Irving is projected to be worth $272MM. It seems unlikely that the Mavs would actually go that high, but you never know — they gave up real assets to acquire him, and losing him for nothing would be a disaster.

Here’s more from the Southwest:

Emoni Bates, who worked out for Charlotte on Friday, also worked out for the Mavericks earlier this week, Zagoria tweets. A former five-star recruit, Bates is currently ranked No. 56 on ESPN’s big board after a relatively disappointing first two college seasons at Memphis and Eastern Michigan.
Hiring an assistant coach with head coaching experience is a priority for the Pelicans, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com, who notes (via Twitter) that head coach Willie Green has a good relationship with advisor Mike D’Antoni.
The Grizzlies will need to rely on the leadership of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. going forward with Dillon Brooks likely to depart in free agency, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “Des is a cornerstone, very significant piece of this group,” GM Zach Kleiman said. “I think he has an opportunity going forward to really establish himself as a key driver, key leader in this group. … I think he’ll have an even bigger opportunity to be a heart-and-soul-of-the-group kind of guy going forward.”

Suns Notes: Paul, Payne, Ross, Warren, Irving, Ayton

May 3rd, 2023 at 8:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

Chris Paul didn’t participate in the Suns‘ practice on Wednesday and he’s not expected to play when their series with the Nuggets resumes Friday night in Phoenix, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Although the team is listing Paul as day-to-day with a strained left groin, sources tell Rankin that he’s expected to miss at least a week, which lines up with another report from Tuesday night.

Paul suffered the injury midway through the third quarter of Game 2 while jumping for a defensive rebound. He grabbed at his groin area when he landed and was quickly replaced. Game 4 is Sunday, and it appears Paul’s next realistic chance to play will be next Tuesday in Game 5 if the Suns can extend the series without their veteran leader.

“Gratefully, he didn’t tear it or something like that where he’s done for the season,” coach Monty Williams said. “You always have to look at the bright side of a tough situation. We’re just grateful that it wasn’t worse than we thought.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

Paul’s spot in the starting lineup is likely to go to Cameron Payne, Rankin adds. Payne, who replaced Paul after the Game 2 injury, started a career-high 15 games this season when Paul was unavailable. Payne recently returned from a lower back injury that limited him to four total minutes in the first-round series.
With the team needing more production from its bench, Williams indicated that Terrence Ross and T.J. Warren could have larger roles in Game 3, Rankin adds in another Arizona Republic story. Both players were acquired in February to boost the Suns’ offense, but they’ve seen limited action during the playoffs. “I can do a better job of putting more scorers on the floor and living with whatever warts may come with that just to free those guys up so they don’t have to do it every single time down the floor,” Williams said. “We’ll make those adjustments accordingly.”
Phoenix could try to land Kyrie Irving in a sign-and-trade deal this summer, speculates John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (audio link). His reasoning is that Kevin Durant enjoys having Irving as a teammate, even though things didn’t work out as planned in Brooklyn, and Irving faces a limited market in free agency. Gambadoro states that the deal could see Deandre Ayton shipped to the Mavericks, who need to find a reliable center.

Western Notes: Irving, Wiggins, Poole, Murray

May 2nd, 2023 at 8:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks said after the season they intended to re-sign Kyrie Irving and that’s what Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett is hearing from rival executives. However, Luka Doncic will have to get used to not having the ball in his hands all the time and they’ve got to upgrade the roster defensively, Bulpett writes.

“Kyrie was on great behavior — like he was doing everything to try to win over Luka and be a teammate. Every single player on that team and everyone in the organization loves Kyrie from his time there so far,” one GM told Bulpett. “I do think there’s some skepticism going forward for what (the Mavericks are) going to offer him. Like, they’re not completely naïve.”

The Mavericks can offer Irving a five-year contract worth up to $272MM.

We have more from the Western Conference:

Andrew Wiggins surprised many people by how effective he was against Sacramento despite a long layoff due to personal reasons. The Warriors forward averaged 18.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in the first-round series and told The Athletic’s Sam Amick he should be even better against the Lakers. “I feel like in Game 1, once I scored a couple points, I was like, ‘Pffft, I’m back. I’m good.’ My feel for the game was still there. My rhythm and my conditioning felt good enough to compete,” he said. “So I think I’m only going to get (better), because my conditioning still needs to get better. I feel like there’s still more. I mean, last year I was picking up full court (defensively) the whole playoffs, and I didn’t do that yet. It’s coming though.”
In contrast, Warriors guard Jordan Poole had a rough series against the Kings, Tim Kawakami of The Athletic notes. He shot 33.8% from the field and struggled defensively against Sacramento’s guards. Poole’s four-year, $123MM extension kicks in next season and the Warriors hope he’ll pick it up against the Lakers. “Wasn’t his best series, obviously,” coach Steve Kerr said.
Kings rookie forward Keegan Murray came away from the playoffs feeling optimistic about his future, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic writes. The lottery pick averaged 9.7 points and 6.8 rebounds in the first-round series. He’ll work with Domantas Sabonis during the offseason. “This series made me more confident than anything in my ability to move forward and my ceiling of how good I can be in the NBA,” Murray said.

Lakers Notes: James, Curry, Davis, Bamba, Russell, Roster

May 1st, 2023 at 7:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The playoff matchup between the LeBron James-led Lakers and Stephen Curry-led Warriors should be a thriller. James has great respect for what Curry, who scored 50 points on Sunday to close out the Kings, has accomplished, Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.

“[Curry] puts in the work,” James said. “And when you put in the work, nine times out of 10 you’re going to see the results. And he’s done that throughout his whole, entire career. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Steph and everything he’s been able to accomplish, not only on the floor but also off the floor, too. It’s just great to have people like that in this league to set an example for the generation to come.”

James says that Curry presents an imposing defensive challenge for the entire team.

“You’ve seen some of the shots, the routine shots, that Steph was making in Game 7 that everybody was going crazy after,” James said. “That’s just Steph. When you’re that great, you make tough shots like that. So, we’ve got to be locked in and not hurt ourselves.”

We have more on the Lakers:

The team comes into the second round in relatively good health. James (right foot soreness) and Anthony Davis (right foot stress injury) are listed as probable for Game 1 on Tuesday, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Mohamed Bamba (left ankle soreness) is listed as questionable.
D’Angelo Russell, who will be a free agent after the season, poured in 31 points when the Lakers knocked out the second-seeded Grizzlies in Game 6. Performances like that could enhance Russell’s chances of re-signing with the team, Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes. The Lakers are reportedly not interested in signing Kyrie Irving and reuniting him with James.
Thanks to the changes made in-season, the new-look Lakers have all the pieces in place to win the championship, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer opines. The club now has shot creators who can provide a spark and take pressure off of James and Davis.

Lakers Reportedly Don’t Plan To Pursue Kyrie Irving

May 1st, 2023 at 4:01pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers have long been linked to guard Kyrie Irving, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The eight-time All-Star sat courtside for Game 6 on Friday as the Lakers advanced to the second round and congratulated former teammate LeBron James in the arena tunnel after the game, writes Tim Cato of The Athletic (it’s worth noting Irving also sat courtside for Sunday’s Game 7 between Golden State and Sacramento).

Despite his obvious ties to James and Los Angeles’ previously rumored interest in Irving, the team doesn’t plan to pursue him in free agency, sources tell Cato. As Cato notes, the Lakers would have to shed several salaries — including multiple players they traded for that helped turn their season around — to create enough cap room to try and sign Irving.

The Mavericks, meanwhile, are still optimistic about their chances of re-signing Irving, and rival teams believe that’s the most likely outcome as well, according to Cato’s sources.

As Cato details, it was, by all accounts, an unpleasant season for Dallas. After reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2021/22, the Mavs regressed and went 38-44, missing the playoffs (and the play-in tournament). “I’m glad it’s over,” an unnamed player said before the final game of the season.

Cato points to the Mavericks’ inability to retain Jalen Brunson as the pivot point in their decline. Brunson has said multiple times he hoped to remain with Dallas, while owner Mark Cuban blamed Brunson’s father Rick for the guard’s departure.

Cuban recently claimed Brunson’s side never gave the Mavs an offer he would accept in free agency, but a team source tells Cato that Brunson’s agents did reach out to the Mavs to inquire about a potential offer, only to be told that it would be revealed at a meeting, which was ultimately cancelled.

Either way, it’s clear that the Mavs didn’t value Brunson as much as the Knicks did, and the Mavericks were left to pick up the pieces.

One acquisition Dallas seemed to sour on throughout the season was big man Christian Wood, another unrestricted free agent who is not expected to be brought back, according to Cato.

Cato’s story features several more details on the Mavericks’ “season of misery” and their potential offseason plans, and is worth checking out in full for readers who subscribe to The Athletic.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Davis, Reaves, Irving

April 29th, 2023 at 5:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James said the Lakers brought a “Game 7 mentality” to the court Friday night as they eliminated the Grizzlies with a 40-point win, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. It was only Game 6, so L.A. had two chances to close out the series, but the players were determined not to return to Memphis. The Lakers took control right from the start and held a 17-point lead at halftime.

“We understood that we had an opportunity to play in front of our fans, and we wanted to try to end it tonight,” James said.

James had promised to play better following a subpar Game 5, and he kept his word, hitting seven of his first eight shots on the way to 22 points, along with six assists and five rebounds. The victory gave James another career milestone, tying him with former Laker Derek Fisher for the most playoff series wins with 40.

“He’s playing with a sense of urgency,” coach Darvin Ham said of his 38-year-old star. “He knows there’s only so many more of these (postseason runs) he’s going to be able to participate in. So he’s definitely been in the moment.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

L.A. seems almost unbeatable when Anthony Davis is at the top of his game, states Jim Alexander of The Orange County Register. Along with his 16 points and 14 rebounds on Friday, Davis blocked five shots and affected numerous others. He showed throughout the series that he can dominate the game on defense even when his shot isn’t falling. “No matter what I’m doing, I want to be able to leave a mark on the game defensively and that can kind of fuel my offensive game and the team’s offensive game, and also fuel the defensive end for us as a collective,” Davis said. “So you know, I just (think) next play mentality and just keep going and keep playing and the rest will take care of itself.”
The Lakers can expect strong competition for Austin Reaves when he becomes a free agent this summer, McMenamin adds in another ESPN story. An unidentified Western Conference executive said Reaves would be a good fit on “literally every team in the league” because of his age, skills and salary. The Lakers hold his Early Bird rights and are limited to an $11.4MM offer in the first year of a new contract, but Reaves expressed a desire to stay in L.A. “I would love to be here my whole career,” he said. “Just the way that the fans treat me, the love they have for me, as an undrafted player, it’s kind of like they raised me type of vibe. … It feels like it’s meant to be. It feels like this all happened for a reason and this is where I should be.”
Kyrie Irving was among the fans at courtside for Friday’s game, McMenamin tweets. The Lakers reportedly had interest in acquiring the impending free agent last summer and again before he was traded to the Mavericks in February. Irving left in the third quarter because of the lopsided score, but not before visiting with James’ close friend and business associate Maverick Carter (Twitter link).

Western Notes: Lindsey, Udoka, Borrego, Westbrook, Holmgren, Blazers, Towns

April 17th, 2023 at 9:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks are in advanced discussions with former Jazz executive Dennis Lindsey to join the organization as a special assistant to GM Nico Harrison, Marc Stein of the Stein Line reports (via Twitter). Harrison has been seeking an experienced sounding-board voice to join the front office in a consultant’s role, dating to last offseason.

Following their failure to make the playoffs, the Mavericks have a pivotal offseason that includes trying to re-sign Kyrie Irving and finding ways to improve the roster, despite limited trade assets and salary cap issues.

We have more on the Western Conference:

The Rockets will interview former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka for their head coaching job on Wednesday, Kelly Iko of The Athletic tweets. They interviewed former Hornets head coach James Borrego on Monday for their head coaching job, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. The Rockets have already interviewed former Lakers head coach Frank Vogel and are expected to interview a number of experienced head coaches and prominent assistant coaches in their search to replace Stephen Silas.
Russell Westbrook is unlikely to be suspended for Game 2 of the Clippers’ series against the Suns, Chris Haynes of TNT tweets. Westbrook had a verbal altercation with a fan during halftime of Game 1 on Sunday.
Chet Holmgren missed the entire season due to a Lisfranc injury in his right foot but the Thunder big man is ready to get back on the court, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft, says most of the recovery and rehab process is behind him. “I’m pretty much past the rehab part of this journey,” Holmgren said, “and now I’m progressing more into the 5-on-5 stuff and kind of taking away any restrictions that I have to this point.”
There could be a major change with the Trail Blazers’ guard rotation, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian notes. General manager Joe Cronin must decide whether Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe are part of the team’s long-term plans. Either or both could be traded for the All-Star level talent that Damian Lillard craves. Conversely, Simons and Sharpe could be the backcourt starters if Lillard is dealt and Portland goes into a full rebuild.
The Timberwolves will look to bounce back from their 29-point loss to top seed Denver when they play Game 2 on Wednesday. They’ll need a huge series from Karl-Anthony Towns to have any chance in the series, as Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic details.
The matchup against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets could show just how far the Timberwolves are from becoming a true contender and whether the Towns-Rudy Gobert pairing can get them to that point, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune opines.