Kyrie Irving, the former Brooklyn Nets point guard, made an appearance at Crypto.com Arena to watch his former teammate LeBron James and the LA Lakers take on the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers have been rumored to have an interest in Irving since the offseason. The presence of “Uncle Drew” quickly created a buzz on Twitter with fans showing love to the former teammates.
LeBron James 🤝 Kyrie Irving
— NBA do Povo 🏀🇧🇷 (@NBAdoPovo) April 29, 2023
Irving had a player option heading into the 2022-23 season and was reportedly willing to leave roughly $30 million on the table to reunite with LeBron James in Hollywood. However, he opted into his contract with the Brooklyn Nets, declining the Lakers’ $6 million mid-level exception.
When he and the Nets couldn’t agree on a long-term extension, he demanded to be traded, and the Nets subsequently traded him to the Dallas Mavericks for Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, and draft picks.
The LA Lakers reportedly also tried to offer Russell Westbrook and one of their future first-round picks for Irving, but the Nets turned them down. Despite not getting a long-term extension with the Mavericks, Irving turned down their offer of a two-year extension a few months ago, and Dallas is now prioritizing re-signing the mercurial point guard.
Where Irving ends up next season remains unclear, and the LA Lakers will surely be one of the teams to pursue him. With D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers’ starting point guard, also set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season, the Lakers will do their due diligence on Irving while staying focused on the playoffs.
As for Irving, he signed a four-year, $136.4 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets upon his arrival in 2019, and without a long-term extension, he opted into the final year of his contract in the offseason and currently joined the Dallas Mavericks. While his future remains uncertain, the NBA world will certainly be keeping a close eye on where Irving will end up next season.
The King Reigns Supreme: LeBron James Leads Lakers to Dominant Victory Over Grizzlies
The Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 6, winning 125-85 in a wire-to-wire performance. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell led the charge, with Davis’s masterful defense shutting down the Grizzlies’ offense.
The Lakers shot 53.8% from the field, compared to Memphis’s 30.2%. Davis, who recorded 16 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks, attributed the win to the Lakers’ ability to let their game talk and play basketball, while Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks, who had talked trash leading up to the game, were unable to back it up.
The Lakers outscored the Grizzlies by 10 in fast-break points and by 20 in the paint. LeBron, who said he felt excellent before the game, was dialed in on defense and scored 22 points, while Russell had a team-high 31 points on 12-of-17 shooting.
However, it was Davis’s defense that stole the show, recording 26 blocks and 8 steals in the series. The Lakers’ dominant win set a standard for their defense, and they will look to continue their winning ways in the playoffs.
