Kyrie Irving appears to be torn between New York and Los Angeles as the NBA's free agency period is set to begin in a little over four weeks. According to NBA insider Ric Bucher, the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers are the current frontrunners to land Kyrie. In fact, Bucher says Kobe Bryant has been actively recruiting Kyrie to join LeBron James in L.A.
He told FS1's Colin Cowherd on Tuesday, "The latest that I've heard is that it's between Brooklyn and the Lakers." In regards to Kobe Bryant's involvement, Bucher adds, "Kobe indicated to me that he was not involved, that he was, 'hey that's their deal, I'm not part of it.' But I was told in the last 24 hours, Kobe has been busy recruiting Kyrie, in particular, to try to get him to the Lakers."
Bucher now believes, based on everything that he's been told, that Kyrie is Brooklyn-bound this summer. In fact, Bucher says the 27-year old All-Star has already purchased a house in nearby by South Orange, New Jersey, close to where he grew up.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith recently reported that he's been told Irving will be playing his home games at Madison Square Garden next season, although Smith also noted that some members of Kyrie's camp are pushing him to consider the Nets as well.
Knicks, Nets, Lakers? We'll find out soon enough as the NBA free agency officially opens at 6pm ET on June 30.
Check out Bucher's comments regarding Irving's decision in the video embedded below.