Kyrie Irving Rumors: 'Lakers Are Disinterested in Pursuing' Mavs Star in Free Agency

Kyrie Irving might be out of luck if he thought the Los Angeles Lakers would renew their interest in him this offseason.

The Athletic's Tim Cato reported Monday the Lakers "are disinterested in pursuing him in free agency."

"To acquire him would require jettisoning several deadline acquisitions who have helped revitalize their season and land them in a second-round series against the Golden State Warriors," Cato wrote.

Cato added the Mavericks "remain optimistic about their ability to re-sign Irving" and are excited about what he and Luka Dončić can do with more time together on the floor. Still, Irving's plans are "less clear" because he hasn't spoken publicly since Dallas' season ended.

The Lakers were linked with Irving last offseason when he was deciding whether to hit free agency or pick up his team option with the Brooklyn Nets. In November, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Los Angeles was hesitant to give him a big guaranteed contract as part of a sign-and-trade with the Nets.

The rumors fired up again ahead of the trade deadline after Irving requested an exit from Brooklyn, but a deal failed to materialize. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Lakers were willing to send Russell Westbrook and first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 to the Nets, who demanded the inclusion of Austin Reaves, Max Christie and additional pick swaps.

Lakers star LeBron James openly lamented Los Angeles' inability to reunite him with his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate.

General manager Rob Pelinka found another way to kick-start the team's season, and Los Angeles' turnaround might preclude the need to sign Irving at all.

By mid-March, The Athletic's Jovan Buha was reporting on the HoopsHype Podcast that "the Kyrie ship, I think, has sailed."

"That could easily change, but as of right now, their plan is to run this (team) back," Buha said.

The Lakers upsetting the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round only furthered the notion they don't have to do something drastic this summer like sign Irving or overhaul the roster again to acquire another star.

Perhaps that perception will change if L.A. is thoroughly outclassed by the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals.

For now, it looks like Irving's market might be a bit smaller than he was hoping for, which is great news for the Mavericks.