Lakers Won't Pursue Kyrie Irving This Offseason

Kyrie Irving and LeBron James won't be teaming up any time soon, despite the overtures both have made over the past few months. The Los Angeles Lakers have no interest in pursuing Irving this offseason, according to The Athletic.

Irving sat courtside Friday night as the Lakers blew out the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series. The Dallas Mavericks guard and former teammate James shared a few moments together before and after the game. That got people talking about a possible reunion.

Before the NBA trade deadline, James said trading for Irving would make the Lakers a contender, and LA actually tried to make a move for him. It didn't work as the Brooklyn Nets' asking price was far too high. Now, it appears the Lakers have moved on from the idea of adding Irving and the franchise will not pursue him this summer.

Irving and the Mavericks were a mess together. Luka Doncic and Irving didn't mesh when they did wind up on the court together, and Dallas missed the playoffs entirely. Meanwhile, the Lakers made some smart moves at the deadline and have been on a roll since assembling their current roster. James has to be happy with the infusion of youth and floor-spacing shooters that have taken a lot of the load of of him and Anthony Davis.

Given how well things have gone, it's likely the Lakers try to keep most of the current group together this offseason. D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves and Dennis Schroder are all free agents and Malik Beasley has a team option worth $16.5 million. So some creative contract maneuvering will have to happen to keep most of them.

Looking at LA's cap and luxury tax situations, it would be nearly impossible to add Irving without dumping virtually the entire roster outside James and Davis. Then the trio would need to be surrounded by vet minimum guys. The Lakers have tried that before and it didn't work. It makes sense they'd aim for another approach.