When LeBron James talks, or in this case tweets, everybody takes notice.
So, for all we know, every preseason the Los Angeles Lakers superstar schedules a bunch of nonsensical tweets for random times throughout the year knowing chaos will ensue.
The timing of his latest tweet though is too good not to have been intentional.
“Maybe It’s Me,” James posted in the wake of the Dallas Mavericks trading for Brooklyn Nets All-Star guard and former teammate Kyrie Irving.
There is no concrete reporting at this stage as to how the Lakers responded to the Mavericks’ inclusion of Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith in their trade offer to the Nets.
Although Stein wrote that “any measure of hesitancy” from L.A.’s side to get in a bidding war would be “understandable” given the baggage Irving brings with him.
For what it’s worth, we do know whether James thought Irving could help the Lakers turn their season around and even potentially win a title.
In fact, the 38-year-old had offered just one word — “Duh” — in response to that question.
But for the time being James will likely have to settle for working with what he has got, with the Lakers having already traded for Rui Hachimura before this week’s deadline.
L.A. seemed like the logical destination for Irving when he first demanded a trade for Brooklyn, opening up the opportunity for the Nets guard to reunite with James.
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The Lakers had been hesitant to part ways with either of its two first-round picks unless it was to help land a superstar who would genuinely vault the franchise into title contention.
It is why they did not use either of the picks in a potential deal for Myles Turner or Buddy Hield.
But according to ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks, even the two first-round picks were not going to be the slam dunk in trade talks like the Lakers may have hoped.
“The two first-round picks that the Lakers had to offer, Russell Westbrook and whatever young players [they could offer] did nothing for the Nets,” he said.
“Draft picks did not do anything for Brooklyn based on still having Kevin Durant on this roster.”
Further to this, The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported that there was a “significant obstacle” in the early stages of talks between the Lakers and Nets.
According to Amick, the Nets were after a return that included two first-round picks (2027 and 2029) along with Russell Westbrook and two “promising young players”, putting forward Austin Reaves and Max Christie as examples.
The Lakers were said to be potentially willing to do that but only if Irving guaranteed to accept a two-year, $78.6 million extension as part of the deal.
That would then marry up his contract with that of James, who is signed with L.A. through the summer of 2025, with a player option in the 2024-25 season.
That is consistent with reporting from Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, who claimed on Sunday that there was growing “pessimism” that the Lakers would successfully trade for Irving.
“Irving is expected to seek a four-year maximum contract, with the Lakers preferring a two-year deal, aligning with the two years remaining on James’ deal,” Woike wrote.
The Athletic though reports that Irving, who hits free agency this summer, “has been adamant” about wanting a full, four-year max deal nearing almost $200 million ($A289m).
ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski also reported the Nets preferred what the Mavericks had to offer in three future picks and, crucially, two genuine starting options in Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith.
Finney-Smith is one of the league’s best 3-and-D wings while Dinwiddie offers a much-needed option at guard to relieve some of scoring pressure on Durant.
Add in the future picks and Brooklyn has assets it can work with to strike more deals before the deadline or keep up its sleeve to also continue planning for the future.
Put simply, it has the Nets in a comfortable position where they should be good enough to still contend and potentially keep Durant happy so he doesn’t request another trade.
It is not all doom and gloom for LeBron and the Lakers though.
Irving could still walk away from the Mavericks in free agency this summer and end up at L.A.
Stein reported in his latest newsletter that L.A. was Irving’s “preferred destination” but that one of Nets owner Joe Tsai’s “presumed objectives” was making sure he was not traded to the Lakers.
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As for where the Lakers could go this season, there is unlikely to be anyone of Irving’s calibre on the trade table, although the Raptors still remain the most intriguing team to watch should they decide to become sellers at the deadline.
Toronto guard Fred VanVleet, Utah’s Mike Conley, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier and Houston’s Eric Gordon have all been mentioned in the past month as possible targets.
As Kyle Goon, a Lakers beat reporter put it, the “biggest question” for the Lakers now is whether the failed Irving bid could lead to any fractions in the locker room — and more specifically whether it could see Westbrook moved on before the upcoming deadline.
