Kyrie Irving 'In No Rush' to Make Free-Agency Decision amid Lakers, Mavericks Rumors

The destination of free-agent point guard Kyrie Irving will be a hot topic this offseason, but it sounds like finding out his next landing spot will take some time.

Irving took to social media and told his followers they should ignore rumors that he is deciding between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers because a decision from him is not imminent.

"I'm a free agent this summer, but I am in no rush to make a decision," Irving said. "The speculation around my name from all these individuals that get on TV and have these personalities... When they speak on my name and they're talking about potential teams that I'm going to, respectfully, I'm asking you to please stop paying attention to that. I am in no rush to make a decision."

After acquiring Irving from the Brooklyn Nets prior to the February trade deadline this season, the Mavs own the 31-year-old's Bird rights and can offer him a maximum contract of $272 million over five years. The biggest deal Irving can sign with another team would be a four-year contract worth nearly $202 million.

B/R's Eric Pincus reported Sunday that Dallas was under the impression that Irving would be with the franchise for longer than a half-season.

"I hear they had a handshake deal before the trade [with the Nets]," one source told Pincus. "And Kyrie wouldn't have said yes to anything less than the max."

Irving's arrival didn't result in immediate on-court success for the Mavs, who missed the playoffs after finishing with a 38-44 record after losing 18 out of their final 25 games to end the season. Still, Dallas remains interested in keeping him around for the foreseeable future.

"I think the things that he said along the way about how he feels here, how he feels appreciated, how he feels accepted and allowed to be himself--those are the things that he said kind of consistently," Mavs general manager Nico Harrison said in April. "That's what gives me the optimism that he wants to be here."

As for the Lakers, The Athletic's Jovan Buha reported earlier this week star forward LeBron James has "a known preference" for the team to add Irving as a third star alongside himself and Anthony Davis. Los Angeles would need to make a number of moves to free up cap space or negotiate a sign-and-trade with Dallas to land the eight-time All-Star.

Until Irving makes his decision, the basketball world will likely be captivated by his free-agent process.