Tony Dejak/Associated Press ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said a source believes Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving is now destined to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2018-19 NBA season, and a reunion with former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate LeBron James is possible with the Los Angeles Lakers. Andrew Joseph of USA Today passed along comments Smith made about the situation during Thursday's edition of First Take: "And so now we have a situation where I know nothing about this. I haven't asked. I'm just referring to a text I received last night. I will never say who it is. Never. But it says, 'Hey, a bit easier to come to L.A. now.' And you have people in the NBA that are now believing if indeed the Boston Celtics, loaded with talent, Danny Ainge being the genius that he is as an executive, knowing that he has enough talent not to stick with Kyrie. ... All of the sudden there's another guy that's gonna be on the free-agent market this summer. It's gonna be Kyrie Irving." The speculation comes after Irving said Wednesday he recently reached out to James to "apologize for being that young player that wanted everything at his fingertips," per Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press. "He's been in this situation, been there with me, where I've been the young guy, been the 22-year-old kid, wanting everything, wanting everything right now," Irving said. "The responsibility of being the best player in the world and leading a team is something that's not meant for many people. "And Bron was one of those guys that came to Cleveland and tried to really show us what it's like to win a championship. And it was hard for him. Sometimes getting the most out of the group is not the easiest thing in the world. Fewer are meant for it or chosen for it. And I felt like the best person to call was him." In July 2017, Ramona Shelburne, Dave McMenamin and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reported Irving's decision to request a trade from Cleveland, which eventually resulted in his move to Boston, stemmed from no longer wanting to play in James' shadow. "Irving was tired of being Robin to James' Batman. Tired of having another superstar—even one of the best players of all time—in control of his fate," the report said. "But Irving felt the time had come to take his destiny into his own hands." 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And it's apparently given him newfound respect for the NBA's gold standard. Connecting that with Irving joining James in Los Angeles seems like a serious stretch at this stage, however. But the point guard can utilize a player option in his contract to become a free agent at season's end and there's no doubt the Lakers are still looking to upgrade their roster around LeBron. It's nevertheless an eye-catching rumor in what's likely to become a crazy summer with Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler other potential members of a star-studded 2019 free-agent class.<doc-sep>Boston Celtics superstar point guard Kyrie Irving may have made an early verbal commitment to re-signing with the Celtics’ illustrious franchise in October, that hasn’t stopped anybody — be they fans, media members and members of the NBA fraternity — from speculating on the five-time All-Stars future. Set to become a free agent for the second time in his career in the 2019 offseason, Irving will have no shortage of suitors in what could be a relatively thin free agent class in terms of top-tier free agents. While he’s no doubt a max player for any team, and thus no bidding war will ensue with ranges in dollar amounts, there are teams that will try to offer Irving incentives to sign with them past his potential earning power. According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, a longtime co-host for “First Take,” one such team is the Los Angeles Lakers. “So I get a text from an unnamed source,” Smith says, “and it said ‘Wow’ about Kyrie and what he had to say about LeBron [James].” “He said, ‘Wow. I guess it makes it a bit easier for him to come to L.A. now. '” The idea that the Lakers — a historical rival of the Celtics — would have interest in signing Irving is, in and of itself, no story. However, the fact of the matter is that with Irving having forced a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers because he wanted to escape LeBron’s shadow — or just lead a team all of his own — the idea that Irving would have interest in signing with Los Angeles is certainly an intriguing discussion. The relationship between Irving and James has gone through its fair share of stages. From when James was simply a fan and distant mentor to the heir of the Cavaliers franchise to when Irving was scoring 41 points beside James against the Golden State Warriors in historic fashion, proving that he belonged in the pantheon of Cleveland greats and perhaps, more. It seemed teeter on the edge of collapse when Irving requested a trade and then the two seemed to have resolved their issues upon seeing each other, as opponents, at the beginning of the 2017-18 season. Further, Irving seems to be reveling in the challenge of being a leader for the Celtics rather than running away from it. So, even if he wanted to leave Boston — and he’s shown no signs of wanting to leave — why would he go to the Lakers? A team with arguably as much top-end young talent as Boston and a ball-dominant superstar in James that he would have to share the rock with. There have been crazier things to have happened in the NBA but it would be surprising to see the Celtics lose Irving to the Lakers of all teams this offseason.<doc-sep>
Kyrie Irving revealed on Wednesday that he called LeBron James to apologize for how he acted in Cleveland. Irving, finally taking a similar role in Boston to that of LeBron in Cleveland, realized firsthand the struggles and frustrations that come with being a leader. By calling LeBron, Irving made a mature step to smooth any lingering ill will between the two players. So, of course Stephen A. Smith is now talking about the potential move of Kyrie Irving to the Lakers. Of course he is. During Thursday’s First Take, Smith felt compelled to read off a text message from an anonymous source. This source apparently wrote, “Wow, I guess it makes it a bit easier for him to come to LA now.” The text very well could have been made sarcastically. We don’t know, but Smith took it seriously. Irving wanted to leave Cleveland to have a team built around him, and he got that in Boston. It seems like a stretch for Irving to willingly take a backseat to LeBron once again. Plus, Irving has a player option to remain in Boston next season. Smith seems to assume that Irving will definitely be a free agent. Smith continued: “And so now we have a situation where I know nothing about this. I haven’t asked. I’m just referring to a text I received last night. I will never say who it is. Never. But it says, ‘Hey, a bit easier to come to LA now.’ And you have people in the NBA that are now believing if indeed the Boston Celtics, loaded with talent, Danny Ainge being the genius that he is as an executive, knowing that he has enough talent not to stick with Kyrie … All of the sudden there’s another guy that’s gonna be on the free agent market this summer. It’s gonna be Kyrie Irving.” I guess the real lesson here is to never apologize. This is what happens.