What Does LeBron James' 3-Word Tweet Mean?
On Sunday afternoon, the only thing the NBA world cared about was the blockbuster trade between the Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Nets sent superstar point guard Kyrie Irving to the Mavs in a multi-player deal (that included draft picks).
On Sunday night, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James sent out a cryptic tweet with just three words.
James tweeted: "Maybe It’s Me"
The tweet is going viral and has the attention of everyone on NBA Twitter (there were over 60,000 likes in less than 25 minutes).
It's his first post since Irving was sent to the Mavs, which has made fans wonder if there is any correlation.
While his tweet could be totally off-topic, the Lakers were a team that had been mentioned as a suitor for Irving (James and Irving won the 2016 NBA Championship together with the Cleveland Cavaliers).
According to SNY's Ian Begley, the Lakers offered Russell Westbrook and a first-round pick for Irving.
Via Begley: "Nets and Mavs have a deal to send Kyrie Irving to Dallas, league source confirms. Lakers had offer earlier in week that included Russell Westbrook and a first round pick for Irving. The Athletic first reported Irving to Dallas."
Irving's contract expires this summer, so he will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times reported (before the trade) that the Lakers were only interested in giving Irving a new two-year contract instead of four years.
Via Woike's Los Angeles Times Article: "Irving is expected to seek a four-year maximum contract, with the Lakers preferring a two-year deal, aligning with the two years remaining on James’ deal."
In addition to missing out on Irving, the Lakers are struggling right now, with a 25-29 record in 54 games.
James has been brilliant, with averages of 30.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists per contest in 43 games.
That said, the Lakers (who went 33-49 last season) are the 13th seed in the Western Conference and 3.0 games back of the Mavs for the sixth seed (the final guaranteed NBA Playoff spot).
The Lakers will play their next game on Tuesday evening when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder in Los Angeles, California.
James is only 36 points away from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
