Old flame could draw Kyrie to LA
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If the Lakers fail to land LeBron James’ preferred choice of hybrid big man, Anthony Davis, in a summer trade, could the Lake Show make a play at freeagent-to-be Kyrie Irving if he’s leaving Boston?
Irving, a South Orange, N.J., product, mostly has been linked to the Knicks if he decides to bolt, but the recently rekindled relationship with James bears watching. The Lakers have cap space, albeit not enough for two max players like the Knicks.
During All-Star Weekend, James had no problem shedding light on the January phone call a frustrated Irving made to James, essentially saying the guard was too young to appreciate the veteran’s advice while both were in Cleveland. And now Irving has a fresh perspective after seeing the young Celtics fail to play to their talent level.
It’s been nearly two years since Irving forced his way out of Cleveland to create his own legacy, doing so one season after breaking Cleveland’s championship drought with a gargantuan final-minute 3-pointer in Game 7 against the Warriors.
“I’ve always loved Kyrie, from before I met him to when I became his teammate to even now,’’ James said. “I’ve always thought he was special. There’s a reason why there are only 24 of us here this weekend. He’s here for a reason.
“The phone call — more than for me, I think just to see his growth. It takes a real man and a real person to understand who they are to be able to call or to do anything and be able to see their wrongdoings or believe they have some wrongdoings and then be able to come to grips with that and be able to either apologize or say that, ‘At that point in time, I thought I was ready for something, but I really wasn’t.’ ”
Irving could have sat out the All-Star Game because he’s missed the last few games with a sprained knee. But Irving wanted to play Sunday night as a draft pick of Team LeBron.
Teammates again — for a night.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be an All-Star, but there’s not too many chances you get to be around Kawhi Leonard, being around [Kevin Durant] and have a starting lineup like we do [on Team LeBron],’’ Irving said. “So a lot of that was on my mind, but it didn’t factor into taking care of my health and making sure I’m good to play. I’m good.”