Mavericks Rumors: Biggest threat to sign Kyrie Irving away from Dallas is emerging

The Dallas Mavericks pulled off a shocking trade in February to acquire Kyrie Irving. The eight-time All-Star requested out of Brooklyn after three and a half drama-filled years, and the Mavs stepped up with three draft picks and two starters to complete the deal. Dallas got Luka Doncic a true co-star, and the Mavericks dreamed of the partnership's potential.

Things did not go as planned on the court. The trade hampered an already creaky defense as Dallas lost 18 of their final 25 games to go from fourth in the Western Conference to missing the playoffs entirely. It was a shocking collapse that has the Mavs facing one of the biggest offseasons in franchise history.

Re-signing Kyrie is the top priority. He is an unrestricted free agent and many are wondering if he has already played his last game in Dallas. The franchise is confident that he will return, but they said the same thing about Jalen Brunson last summer. To make matters worse, Irving's biggest suitor is likely to have renewed interest after their disappointing performance in the Western Conference Finals.

Dallas Mavericks Rumors: Biggest threat to signing Kyrie Irving is emerging

LeBron James has been recruiting Kyrie to the Lakers for months. The duo won the championship together in 2016, and King James is eager to win another ring before hanging up the sneakers. The Lakers reached the conference finals but are down 3-0 to the Denver Nuggets after Saturday night's loss. The likely series defeat has sparked fresh rumors of Irving joining LeBron in LA.

Brian Windhorst detailed the situation on his latest Hoop Collective podcast with Bomani Jones. Here is a quote from the discussion.

"If they jettisoned D’Angelo Russell. Malik Beasley has a team option, so they can just cut him. If they said, we are not going to sign Hachimura or maybe tried to offer Hachimura in a sign-and-trade somewhere, it would take a little bit of maneuvering and Kyrie would probably have to not take the max or they would have to work on something with Dallas, but they can get there. They can keep Reaves and get Kyrie if they make that a priority."

Windhorst went on to explain that it would give the Lakers a top-heavy roster again, like when they had Russell Westbrook. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kyrie, and Reaves would be surrounded by minimum players, but the Lakers could make it happen. Fans can hear the entire discussion below.

The Lakers are a serious suitor for Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks should be exploring sign-and-trade options if it comes to it. They cannot afford to lose their second-best player for nothing two years in a row, especially after giving up two starters and three draft picks to acquire Kyrie just three months ago.

Where will Kyrie Irving play next season? Do the Lakers run it back after getting to the conference finals or will they try to add the eight-time All-Star this summer? Can the Dallas Mavericks replace Kyrie if he decides to move on? Stay tuned to find out.