We'll cut to the chase: According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Celtics All-Star Kyrie Irving is not ruling out the Lakers as a potential landing spot if he decides to opt out of his contract this summer.
Yes, that would mean playing alongside LeBron James, his teammate for three seasons in Cleveland and the reason Irving wanted out despite three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals and the 2016 championship.
No longer wanting to play in James' shadow, Irving was traded to Boston after the 2016-17 season. That two-year run ended badly when the Bucks eliminated the Celtics on Wednesday in the second round of the playoffs.
Where Irving would play next season has been a topic for months. Amid much speculation, now there's more.
On The Hoop Collective podcast, Windhorst discussed the "possibility" of an Irving-James reunion in LA.
“As time passes here, I would’ve said that this is impossible for many months. But as time passes here and as the possibility exists that Jason Kidd could be hired as the Lakers coach, I think the possibility of Kyrie and LeBron reuniting — that door, which was deadbolted, has been un-deadbolted and has now been cracked open," Windhorst said. "It might even be opening more by the day. And I say that just because I think it’s on Kyrie’s radar, it’s on Kyrie’s board. He has had discussions with people about playing for the Lakers.”
Irving has played four years of his five-year, $94.3 million contract, but his deal includes a player's option in 2019-20.
If Irving wanted to be the star of a team, which explained the move to Boston, why would he want to reunite with LeBron? We'll find out soon enough.