Insider: Kyrie Irving went to Lakers playoff games as 'leverage play'

Following the Los Angeles Lakers' elimination from the playoffs in the form of a sweep at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, the immediate buzz shifted for fans to two different topics.

The first was whether or not LeBron James could actually opt to retire this offseason. The other is one that'll loom large for the coming weeks/months, and it's whether the Lakers will opt to make a play for Dallas Mavericks guard and friend and former teammate of LeBron, Kyrie Irving.

The rumors of Irving potentially landing in Los Angeles intensified at this season's trade deadline, and they've already picked up once again, partially due to Irving showing up at multiple Lakers playoff games. Despite the speculation generated by Irving being at playoff games, NBA insider Brian Windhorst thinks the move was a leverage play by Irving, which he detailed on his podcast, 'Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective,' via Lakers Daily.

“The two big names out on the [free agent] market this year are James Harden and Kyrie Irving,” Windhorst said. “Both of them, at $48 to $50-something million, seem like very bad bets. But, there is a scarcity [of star talent] there.

“I also think that both of them, Kyrie showing up to Laker games, James Harden being rumored to be attached to the [Houston] Rockets, I still think/suspect all of that is one giant leverage play. That, what James Harden really wants is to elicit the biggest offer out of the Sixers even if it isn’t a max [contract]." Windhorst said.

Windhorst proceeded to point back to Irving on the topic, stating that he thinks Irving  "could be doing the same exact thing" as Harden. It's an interesting point, and as Windhorst goes on to detail, both the Sixers and Mavericks face severe damage if they lose Harden and Irving.

The Lakers' Kyrie Irving debate

If it does come down to money and Irving chooses to go with the side that makes the best offer, then he'll return to the Mavericks. Due to the structure of the Lakers' roster and current offseason outlook, the team could free up a ton of cap space easily, as virtually their entire core roster outside of LeBron and Anthony Davis will be on the free-agent market.

Per Spotrac, the Lakers have James and Davis under contract while Malik Beasley has a team option and Mo Bamba's contract is not guaranteed. This leaves Jarred Vanderbilt at just north of $4.6 million and Max Christine at roughly $1.7 million on the books. 

If the Lakers were to maximize their salary cap space, they could have somewhere between $30 to $34 million, give or take. But if they gave Irving the kind of money he'd be looking for, it would be much harder to fill out the roster around him.

The stars may not align for Irving and the Lakers in free agency, but if they do, the team's depth will absolutely take a hit. Realistically, it makes more sense for Rob Pelinka and company to go a different direction and let Irving return to Dallas.