Kyrie Irving has reportedly reached out to his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate and current Los Angeles Laker LeBron James to see if the four-time champion and MVP would be open to joining the Dallas Mavericks, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Irving wants the Mavericks to trade for James, sources tell TNT and Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes.
Irving's goal is to create a "Big 3" that includes himself, James and current teammate Luka Doncic, according to Haynes.
Creating such a trio would be difficult under the new collective bargaining agreement that resembles a hard salary cap and includes steeper luxury-tax penalties.
Irving will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, while James has one year and $46.9 million remaining on his existing contract and holds a $50.6-million player option for the 2024-25 season.
Irving and James played together for three seasons with the Cavaliers from 2014 to 2017, culminating in three NBA Finals appearances and the franchise's first championship.
The Mavericks acquired Irving from the Brooklyn Nets last season before the trade deadline, but ended up missing the play-in tournament with a final record of 38-44. Dallas went 9-18 after trading for Irving.
