“The player he probably wants the Lakers to acquire is Kyrie Irving” - Analyst believes LeBron James may be using retirement threat as a tactic

According to Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer, LA Lakers superstar LeBron James' comments about potentially considering retirement could be a tactical ploy.

During the 2022 NBA off-season, the Lakers were rumored to hold interest in a potential deal for Kyrie Irving. After failing to acquire the superstar point guard, the Lakers once again registered their potential interest around the Feb. 9 trade deadline.

"I'd bet on LeBron's comments in part being a negotiation tactic: I'll retire unless you go all-in next season," O'Connor tweeted. "And the player James probably wants the Lakers to acquire is Kyrie Irving."

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However, the Brooklyn Nets eventually decided to trade Irving to the Dallas Mavericks. Nevertheless, James is rumored to hold Irving in high regard after the duo won a championship together in 2016.

The Lakers have a decision to make regarding D'Angelo Russell's contract, as the recently acquired guard is set to become an unrestricted free agent. As such, it will be interesting to see how general manager Rob Pelinka approaches those negotiations, as that will give an insight into whether the Lakers still hold interest in a potential deal for Irving.

However, considering that James continues to be among the best players in the NBA, it's unlikely the Lakers would risk losing their star player by not at least attempting to acquire his favored point guard.

LeBron James rumored to dislike D'Angelo Russell

According to a Western Conference executive who spoke with Heavy on Sports' Sean Deveney under the condition of anonymity, LeBron James has not been impressed with D'Angelo Russell.

“I hate to say one playoff series can change a franchise’s whole outlook on a guy because that just does not happen, but it is happening with some of the people in that building, maybe most significantly, with James,” the executive said. “Is this a guy they want to invest in? Does LeBron want him back — there is talk that he is not Russell’s biggest fan.”

D'Angelo Russell was originally drafted by the Lakers with the second overall pick in the 2015 draft. However, the Purple and Gold traded Russell to the Brooklyn Nets during the 2017-18 season. Since then, the former top prospect has bounced around the NBA before landing back with the Lakers in February.

In 17 regular-season games for the Lakers, Russell averaged 17.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists per contest while shooting 48.4% from the field and 41.1% from the 3-point range.

However, Russell's impact quickly waned during the postseason, with the veteran guard providing just 13.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game on 42.6% shooting from the floor and a 31% conversion rate from the deep.

Given D'Angelo Russell's postseason struggles, the Lakers might be reluctant to offer him a long-term contract this summer. However, due to the current free agency class projected to be a weak one, there could be multiple teams willing to add Russell to their rotation - which will put pressure on Pelinka to make a speedy decision.