NBA Rumors: Lakers Won't Pursue Kyrie Irving Contract or Anthony Davis Trade in FA

Based on how the Los Angeles Lakers have played since remaking their roster at the trade deadline, they may not be inclined to pursue a Kyrie Irving sign-and-trade deal for Anthony Davis this offseason.

Appearing on the HoopsHype podcast, The Athletic's Jovan Buha said people in the Lakers organization would prefer to run things back with this current group of players next season.

"From what I've been told, they're not going to be pursuing Kyrie Irving this offseason… To my knowledge and to what I've been told, the Kyrie ship, I think, has sailed. You never want to say never. That could easily change, but as of right now, their plan is to run this (team) back," Buha explained.

Colin Cowherd said on his radio show last month an NBA source told him to "keep your eye on" the Mavs as a potential destination for Davis (starts at 2:00 mark):

There was speculation something might be amiss between Davis and James when the All-Star forward remained seated when LeBron broke the NBA's all-time scoring record against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 7.

Davis told reporters he was "pissed off" in the moment because the Lakers were losing the game and weren't aware James was about to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record.

Irving was being connected to the Lakers for a few weeks leading up to and after the trade deadline, mostly because James was publicly campaigning for the eight-time All-Star.

When Irving's trade request from the Brooklyn Nets was first reported on Feb. 3, James sent out this tweet:

Speaking to reporters after a Feb. 4 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, James was asked if acquiring Irving would help the Lakers' title chances this season:

"That's a Rob (Pelinka) question. You got to see him when y'all get back to L.A. I've told y'all a couple weeks, I don't speak for our front office. My mindset is whatever lineup or whatever group that we have is to make sure we prepare ourselves the best way we can to go out and win. Obviously, that's a—what's the word you use—'duh' question when you talk about a player like that."

Irving was ultimately traded to the Dallas Mavericks, though Buha reported Los Angeles made an offer of Russell Westbrook and unprotected first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2029.

According to Buha, the Lakers didn't want to increase their offer because Irving preferred to enter free agency when he would be eligible to sign a four-year deal worth around $198 million instead of immediately signing a two-year, $80 million extension.

General manager Rob Pelinka pivoted after Irving came off the board. He acquired Malik Beasley, D'Angelo Russell, Dennis Schröder, Jarred Vanderbilt and Mo Bamba.

The Lakers have gone 9-5 in 14 games since the trade deadline on Feb. 9. They are a respectable 5-4 in nine games without James as he continues to recover from a foot injury that has kept him out since Feb. 26.