Kyrie Irving Rumors: Mavs 'Have No Interest in' Lakers Trade with D'Angelo Russell

If Kyrie Irving is going to team up with LeBron James again, it will reportedly have to happen in a different way than a sign-and-trade featuring D'Angelo Russell.

According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks "remain intent on re-signing Irving" and "have no interest" in sending him to the Los Angeles Lakers via a sign-and-trade that would include Russell going to Dallas.

The Lakers are in something of a tricky position this offseason.

Russell, Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Schröder are all unrestricted free agents, while Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura are restricted free agents who may receive offers from other teams that the Purple and Gold could then match.

All of those players played various roles in helping Los Angeles turn its season around and reach the Western Conference Finals. Reaves in particular seems like someone the team should look to keep given how important he became by the stretch run and the playoffs.

Yet it was also clear there was a gap between the Lakers and Denver Nuggets during the Western Conference Finals sweep. Simply committing all the team's offseason money and moves to bringing that group back won't close that gap, but someone with the star power of Irving could help.

Not only is he an eight-time All-Star, he is familiar with playing alongside James from their time on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The pair won a championship in 2016 with Irving hitting what proved to be the winning shot in Game 7 against the Golden State Warriors.

Yet Dallas apparently wants to keep Irving and doesn't seem particularly keen on helping the Lakers out with a sign-and-trade for Russell, who is talented but streaky and proved to be something of a liability in that Western Conference Finals loss to the Nuggets.

The Mavericks collapsed down the stretch after acquiring Irving from the Brooklyn Nets, but perhaps they believe some continuity with the pairing between the 31-year-old and Luka Dončić will bring more stability and better results in 2023-24.