Brian Windhorst and Jackie MacMullan separately suggested there is a possibility of Kyrie Irving signing with the Los Angeles Lakers to reunite with LeBron James. Irving requested a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017 at least in part because he no longer wanted to play with James. "As time passes here, I would have said this was impossible for many months," said Brian Windhorst. "But as time passes here and the possibility exists that Jason Kidd could be hired as the Lakers' coach, I think the possibility of Kyrie and LeBron reuniting is.. you know that door which was deadbolted has been un-deadbolted and is now cracked open. "Definitely, no question. No question about that," replied Jackie MacMullan. "Might even be opening more by the day. I just think it's on Kyrie's radar. It's on Kyrie's board. He has had discussions with people about playing for the Lakers. But as you said it's pretty difficult to read him. "I asked him point-blank, Brian. I asked him this very question," said MacMullan. "I said, 'you know what everybody's saying, Kyrie, they're saying now you're going to go back with LeBron'. "And he looked at me and he laughed. I said 'Is that a yes or a no?' "And he laughed again and he put his arm around me and then he left. So determine that what you may. That was three weeks ago. Three or four weeks ago. So everything is in play with him right now." Irving has also been linked with the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, while re-signing with the Boston Celtics remains a distinct possibility as well.<doc-sep>Kyrie Irving and LeBron James went through one of the most public teammate divorces less than two years ago when Irving requested a trade from James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, but they could be headed for a reunion. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst — one of the foremost LeBron Whisperers — Irving is growing more open to the possibility of signing with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency. "I would’ve said that this is impossible for many months,” Windhorst said on ESPN radio. “But as time passes here and as the possibility exists that Jason Kidd could be hired as the Lakers coach, I think the possibility of Kyrie and LeBron reuniting—that door, which was deadbolted, has been un-deadbolted and has now been cracked open," he said. "It might even be opening more by the day. And I say that just because I think it’s on Kyrie’s radar, it’s on Kyrie’s board. He has had discussions with people about playing for the Lakers.” With the Celtics’ disastrous end to the season, there has been plenty of chatter about Irving leaving in free agency, although most of rumors have him headed to the New York Knicks instead. Rejoining LeBron would be quite the turnaround. Why did Kyrie leave in the first place? Irving’s trade request in July 2017 shocked the sports world in part because he and LeBron had just won Cleveland’s first title a year earlier. There were several factors that led to Irving’s departure, and one of them was that he saw the writing on the wall for James’ departure. Irving didn’t want to get left behind in Cleveland without him, and he found a new contender to play with in Boston. Irving was also excited for an opportunity to lead a team that was his own, as he always played in James’ shadow in Cleveland. However, he got a taste of teammates not living up to his expectations, which led him call LeBron and apologize for their initial falling out. Kyrie Irving (left) could reunite with LeBron James (right) on the Lakers. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) How would Kyrie fit on the Lakers? The Lakers have long been looking for a second star to pair with LeBron, and at this point they can’t be too picky about which All-Star they can land. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard seemed destined to land in LA, but neither ended up donning purple and gold. Story continues And now that the organization has found its next head coach — the Lakers officially hired former Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel on Saturday afternoon, signing him to a three-year deal — it will undoubtedly turn its attention to landing at least one big name in free agency. Irving would be a bona fide star who has already proven he can play well next to James. Furthermore, outside shooting was a major issue for the Lakers — they were 29th in 3-point shooting — and Irving has shot above 40 percent from beyond the arc in each of the last three seasons. Adding Irving would also free up the Lakers to trade Lonzo Ball for a proven contributor, although at 6-foot-6, Ball has the height to play alongside another point guard. Lakers fans can dream of a LeBron-Kyrie-AD Big Three, but Irving would be a great starting point. More from Yahoo Sports:<doc-sep>After failing to make the Eastern Conference Finals, it sounds like Kyrie Irving is more than happy to take his talents to the West Coast. More specifically, to ex-teammate LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the likelihood of Irving and James reuniting is getting stronger and stronger each day. “But as time passes here and as the possibility exists that Jason Kidd could be hired as the Lakers coach, I think the possibility of Kyrie and LeBron reuniting—that door, which was deadbolted, has been un-deadbolted and has now been cracked open. It might even be opening more by the day,” he said during a recent radio interview. However, he clarified that Irving’s move to the West is nothing more of a possibility as of now, adding, “And I say that just because I think it’s on Kyrie’s radar, it’s on Kyrie’s board. He has had discussions with people about playing for the Lakers.” Irving and James played together for the Cleveland Cavaliers between 2014 to 2017, ending the 52-year-old “Cleveland sports curse” with a championship win over the Golden State Warriors in 2016. In related news, the Lakers have reportedly tapped Frank Vogel as head coach.<doc-sep>It was only a matter of time before the Kyrie Irving rumors started, and here’s a doozy. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports on his podcast that there’s a possibility that Kyrie Irving and LeBron James could team up once again. This time for the Los Angeles Lakers. (via Yahoo) “I would’ve said that this is impossible for many months,” Windhorst said on ESPN radio. “But as time passes here and as the possibility exists that Jason Kidd could be hired as the Lakers coach, I think the possibility of Kyrie and LeBron reuniting—that door, which was deadbolted, has been un-deadbolted and has now been cracked open,” he said. “It might even be opening more by the day. And I say that just because I think it’s on Kyrie’s radar, it’s on Kyrie’s board. He has had discussions with people about playing for the Lakers.” Wow. Ok, so here we go. For one thing, it appears that Frank Vogel has been hired as the Lakers head coach, but for some reason Jason Kidd has been installed as an assistant coach. Perhaps there are ties between Kyrie and Kidd? Regardless, we have Windhorst (who’s very plugged in with LeBron and probably with Irving) reporting that Irving has had discussions with people about playing for the Lakers. Assuming this is accurate information, and given the limited time we’ve had since the last Celtics game, we can assume that at the very least Irving is keeping all his options open at this point. We have over a month and a half before Irving can pick his new team (“ask me July 1st”) but this is likely the first of many rumors we’ll hear between now and then. I would imagine that LeBron would welcome another chance to play with Irving and would love to bring the guy to Los Angeles to once again be his sidekick. The opportunity might seem enticing to Irving as well. It certainly worked in the past and if they’ve truly gotten past whatever divided them in Cleveland, then reuniting on the Lakers makes a lot of sense. From a Celtics standpoint, nothing would make Irving more hated than flaming out in dramatic fashion, then fleeing across the country to join our eternal rivals to join one of our most infamous foes. Keep in mind that this is just a rumor, but it is one that makes some sense. Stay tuned for more.<doc-sep>
One of the biggest storylines of the upcoming offseason will be where Kyrie Irving ends up signing. Despite announcing prior to the 2018-19 season that he planned to re-sign with the Boston Celtics, Irving has changed his tune and admitted that anything is on the table in terms of his free agency. ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently revealed on his podcast that Irving has "had discussions" about potentially playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. "As time passes here, I would've said that this is impossible for many months," Windhorst said. "But as time passes here and as the possibility exists that Jason Kidd could be hired as the Lakers coach, I think the possibility of Kyrie and LeBron reuniting — that door, which was deadbolted, has been un-deadbolted and has now been cracked open … It might even be opening more by the day. And I say that just because I think it's on Kyrie's radar, it's on Kyrie's board. He has had discussions with people about playing for the Lakers." Joining the Lakers certainly would be a full-circle move for Irving. After spending the first six seasons of his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving expressed a desire to be traded, so that he could be "the guy" on a team. Irving was playing alongside LeBron James and the duo did help lead the Cavaliers to an NBA title in 2016. Now James resides in Los Angeles after signing with the Lakers last summer. Despite many believing that there was bad blood between Irving and James, the two buried the hatchet earlier this season, so a reunion may not be out of the question. Boston certainly didn't do Irving any favors by bowing out to the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Irving was extremely productive as the team's primary option the last two seasons as he put together averages of 24.1 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 40.4 percent from beyond the arc. However, he did struggle during their series against the Bucks. The Lakers certainly will be looking to improve their roster after missing the playoffs this past season despite adding several veteran players to the fold. Irving would certainly be quite the upgrade, but it appears to be just speculation at this point.