The Los Angeles Lakers are on the brink of elimination, facing a 3-0 series deficit to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. With the disappointing end to the season, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes the Lakers could look to retain Austin Reaves and sign Kyrie Irving in free agency.
Brian Windhorst On The Lakers Interest In Austin Reaves And Kyrie Irving
Brian Windhorst on "The Hoop Collective" podcast discussing Mavericks' impending free agent Kyrie Irving as a Lakers target:
"It would take a little bit of maneuvering, and Kyrie [Irving] would probably have to not take the max, or [the Lakers] would have to work on something… pic.twitter.com/hXRiko5FgC
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) May 21, 2023
On The Hoops Collective podcast, Windhorst explained how the Lakers could re-sign Reaves and still have enough money to bring in Irving. However, it could limit the ability to make more upgrades to an aging roster.
“It would take a little bit of maneuvering, and Kyrie [Irving] would probably have to not take the max, or [the Lakers] would have to work on something with Dallas, but they can get there. They can keep Reaves and get Kyrie if they make that a priority,” Windhorst said. “The way this is ending, I think it’s increasing the chances of it happening.”
Reaves has made himself a lot of money during these playoffs as the Lakers’ third-best player. The second-year guard is averaging 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in the playoffs.
The Lakers own Reaves’s Early Bird rights, but because he’s on a minimum deal, meaning the max offer the Lakers could make Reaves is four years, $50.8 million. Teams can offer Reaves more money, and the Lakers can match the contract, but it would be a poison pill contract.
If another team offers Reaves 4 years, $70 million, the Lakers will most likely match the offer. Yet, the highest they can offer Reaves this year is $11.4 million and just over $12 million next year, meaning the last two years would have Reaves making over $23 million per year.
Dallas Mavericks Must Decide On What To Do With Kyrie Irving
Brian Windhorst on "The Hoop Collective" podcast says that if Kyrie Irving wants to go to the Lakers, the Mavericks would "probably" have to cooperate:
"The Mavericks have more chips on the table. They're still holding what they invested to get him. … If Kyrie says, 'Hey, I'm… pic.twitter.com/S3leizoB8i
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) May 21, 2023
The Dallas Maverick gave up Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick, and second-round picks in 2027 and 2029 to acquire Irving. To let Irving walk in free agency after giving up assets to acquire him would be poor asset management. However, the Mavericks may not have a choice if Irving wants out.
“The Mavericks have more chips on the table. They’re still holding what they invested to get him,” Windhorst said. “I’ve heard some people float some Kyrie things to me, and I can’t rule it out because even though the Mavericks don’t want to, they might have to.”
Irving is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
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