By james art 
Kyrie Irving, LeBron JamesAdam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
A new twist has emerged in the conspiracy to bring LeBron James and Kyrie Irving together, as league sources told Bleacher Report that Irving wants the Dallas Mavericks to explore a trade for LeBron James this offseason to form a Big 3 with him and Luca Doncic.
It’s no secret at this point that Irving and James have been open to a reunion since their days with the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron made it clear as recently as February’s trade deadline that he would be willing to play alongside his former teammate.
The Mavericks were preparing to make an offer for James last season when the Lakers were spiraling, sources said, even though James was not eligible for a trade last season because of his extension date. But the Lakers made a series of trades near the deadline that changed the trajectory of their season.
But any chance of forming a James-Irving-Doncic Big 3 under the NBA’s strict new collective bargaining agreement will be difficult. The new CBA is like a hard cap, making it very difficult to have three max players on a roster.
In order for Irving and James to partner with Doncic, both would have to take a significant pay cut.
The easiest — and most improbable — way to add James this offseason would be for him to arrange a buyout.
James, 38, has a year remaining on his $46.9 million contract and also has a $50.6 million player option for the 2024-25 season. The four-time MVP is expected to return for his 21st season.
James and Doncic have a good relationship that continues to grow. At the start of Doncic’s 2018 rookie season, he revealed that James was his favorite player growing up.
“I’ve always looked up to him as my idol,” he said.
Irving is an unrestricted free agent after the Mavericks acquired the eight-time All-Star in a trade from the Brooklyn Nets in February.
Irving is the Mavericks’ No. 1 offseason priority, sources say.
After being eliminated in the second round by the Denver Nuggets, James informed B/R that he is considering retirement and is unsure if he will be with the team at the start of the 2023-24 season.
Irving signing with the Lakers seems unlikely, as the Mavericks can pay the 31-year-old more than any other team.
Trading James to Dallas first required a trade request. James has a great relationship with head coach Jason Kidd and assistant coach Jared Dudley.
Accepting a $134 million salary cap hit, Irving would be eligible to re-sign with the Mavericks this summer on a five-year, $272 million contract, according to B/R’s Eric Pincus.
There are hurdles the Mavericks will have to overcome to make a blockbuster trade for LeBron James, who has settled in with his family in Los Angeles since arriving in 2018.
Irving shared on the I Am Athlete podcast last year that he regretted how he abruptly left James and the Cavaliers in 2017. “If I was in the same line of maturity and understanding of who I am, and looking back, we definitely, definitely would have won more championships because there would have been a better man-to-man understanding of what I was going through,” he said.
“I didn’t know how to share my emotions. I didn’t know how to do it. So instead of sharing, I isolated myself.”
NBA free agency begins June 30.