The Dallas Mavericks' intent remains to re-sign Kyrie Irving in free agency this summer. There has been considerable speculation that Irving could head to the Los Angeles Lakers, but that would require the Mavs support to make that happen.

Los Angeles is unlikely to be able to create the requisite cap space to sign Irving. That would mean a sign-and-trade deal would have to be in place to get Irving to the Lakers.

The Mavericks reportedly have no interest in acquiring D'Angelo Russell in a dual sign-and-trade deal, where Russell is the primary player headed to Dallas. That makes it difficult to see how the Lakers would be able to match the salary to bring in Irving, outside of a three-team trade.

LeBron James is expected to return to the Los Angeles Lakers next season, a source close to James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

James floated the possibility of retirement following the Lakers' Game 4 loss in the Western Conference Finals to the Denver Nuggets.

James faces an offseason with a potential surgery and an uncertain roster.

James will be entering his 21st NBA season if he continues to play.

LeBron James could undergo surgery this offseason to repair a torn tendon in his left foot.

James would face a two-month rehabilitation period if he undergoes surgery, which would still allow him to be ready for the start of training camp.

James missed a month during the regular season because of the torn tendon in his right foot.

On March 26th, James returned from the injury and was able to help lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the Western Conference Finals.

The New York Knicks attempted to acquire Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt at the trade deadline in a deal with the Utah Jazz that would have sent out Evan Fournier, sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo.

The Knicks previously pursued Beasley in 2020 when he was a restricted free agent.

Gersson Rosas, who is now with the New York front office, signed Beasley to a four-year, $60 million deal when he was running the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

D'Angelo Russell was reportedly looking for a four-year extension worth around $100 million when he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources told Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports.

Russell was acquired by the Lakers in February. He struggled in the playoffs and scored just 25 points total in the Lakers series against the Nuggets.

Despite the struggles, sources added that Russell was viewed as a positive presence around the team. 

LeBron James is re-evaluating whether to undergo surgery to repair a tendon in his foot, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

James suffered the injury in late February. 

James would be out for two months should he elect to have the surgery.

Charania added that James considering retirement after the Lakers got knocked out of the playoffs caught many of his inner circle by surprise. 

The Western Conference Finals between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers averaged 7.9 million viewers across ABC and ESPN.

The number represents the most-watched conference finals since 2018.

It is also an 18% increase from last year's Warriors/Mavs series.

Monday's Game 4 averaged 8.21 million viewers on ESPN, making it the sixth-largest audience of this postseason. 

The Los Angeles Lakers have been widely expected to re-sign Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and possibly D'Angelo Russell while eschewing the cap space route this offseason.

But because Russell's play was uneven, the Lakers could consider free agent options such as Kyrie Irving and Fred VanVleet. Irving and VanVleet are unrestricted free agents with connections to the Lakers. Irving previously played with LeBron James for three seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, while VanVleet is represented by Rich Paul.

If Irving were to leave the Dallas Mavericks, it would 

"The Lakers do have other options beyond Kyrie Irving and not only just Fred VanVleet," said Brian Windhorst on GetUp. "The reason Fred VanVleet comes up is because it's not clear whether the Raptors are going to move forward with the team that they have. It's possible the Raptors can let him walk. And Fred VanVleet is represented by Rich Paul.

"If the Lakers open up the $30 million in cap room, they also have first round draft picks they can trade. There's a whole bunch of other options open to them via trade that wouldn't necessarily be just Kyrie Irving."

Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported that the Lakers have held internal discussions on trading for Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks.

The Los Angeles Lakers season ended in a four-game sweep in the Western Conference Finals at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. Now, the Lakers are figuring out how to pick up the pieces and move forward.

One option for Los Angeles is to trade for high-profile point guard to team with LeBron James (if he doesn't retire) and Anthony Davis. One player the team has had internal discussion about is Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks.

Young is set to make $40 million next season. The Lakers could send the Hawks several players in a sign-and-trade deal to match salary in a trade for Young.

Los Angeles is also expected to consider a sign-and-trade for Kyrie Irving. That would be difficult to pull off, as it would result in a hard cap for Los Angeles, but it's possible the Lakers believe they can fill out their roster with minimum signings around a James, Davis, Irving and Austin Reaves core.

LeBron James is considering retirement after the Los Angeles Lakers were swept in the Western Conference Finals by the Denver Nuggets, sources told Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

James has "a lot to weigh," according to the source.

"I got a lot to think about. … just personally, with me moving forward with the game of basketball, I got a lot to think about," said James in his post-game press conference.

James is expected to take his time before making a decision on whether to return for his 21st season.

James currently has two years and $97 million left on his contract, which includes a player option.