LeBron James and Kyrie Irving's desire for a reunion has become increasingly evident, but obstacles stand in the way of making it a reality.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Irving reached out to James about the possibility of joining the Dallas Mavericks. However, sources close to the Los Angeles Lakers dismissed the idea as "unrealistic" and stated that the Lakers were not interested in what Dallas could offer in a trade.
James recently signed a two-year, $97.1 million extension with the Lakers, while Irving is set to become a free agent in July. Although it would be easier for Irving to join James in Los Angeles, it appears unlikely at this point.
The NBA's collective bargaining agreement contributes to the challenge. Currently, the Lakers have only three players on guaranteed contracts for the 2023-24 season: James, Anthony Davis, and Max Christie. With their salary commitments already at $89.5 million, they do not have enough cap space to sign Irving to his max salary of $46.9 million. He would need to accept a significantly reduced salary to join the Lakers as a free agent.
A sign-and-trade deal is a more feasible option for Irving to join the Lakers, but it is complicated by the collective bargaining agreement. Teams above the salary-cap apron cannot receive players via sign-and-trade, which means the Lakers would need to keep their payroll below that threshold until June 2024 if they acquired Irving in that manner.
Even if the Lakers convinced Irving to accept less than his max salary in a sign-and-trade, acquiring him would force them to make challenging decisions regarding the rest of their roster. With significant financial commitments to James, Davis, Irving, and Christie, the Lakers would have limited funds remaining to sign other players.
This financial constraint could potentially result in the loss of players like Austin Reaves or Rui Hachimura, both of whom are set to become restricted free agents this summer.
