(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers’ pursuit of Kyrie Irving didn’t come to fruition.
LeBron James was admittedly quite disappointed to know that they couldn’t trade for him, and he saw his former teammate go to the Dallas Mavericks instead.
There were plenty of rumors about a potential reunion at Crypto.com Arena.
Irving was even courtside in Game 6 of the series vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, which only fueled more speculation.
He, however, ended up signing a very lucrative deal with the Mavericks at the beginning of free agency, and that was the end of that.
Fast forward to today, and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reveals that Irving was also interested in reuniting with LeBron, adding that his presence during that playoff game wasn’t coincidental either (Via The Dunk Central).
“Kyrie Irving was very interested in teaming up with LeBron James again during the last free agency period,” Shelburne said.
Kyrie Irving was very interested in teaming up with LeBron James again during the last free agency period, per @ramonashelburne
Irving secured courtside seats at Game 6 of the Lakers’ playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies at https://t.co/U8AF0mSPSI Arena, hoping to… pic.twitter.com/rjb34j4gDE
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 17, 2024
Irving chose the money, and the Lakers chose to put together a deep team rather than chase another star, a decision prompted partly because of the failed Russell Westbrook experiment, claims Shelbourne:
“At the time, the Lakers were hailed for their shrewd offseason. For their fortitude in trusting the winning mix they’d constructed at the trade deadline. For learning from the Westbrook experiment by focusing on team building, rather than star chasing,” read the report.
Even so, it would’ve been almost impossible to make the numbers work for the Lakers if they actually wanted to pursue Kyrie unless he was willing to give up a lot of money.
James and Irving have a complicated history, but their careers will always be tangled up.
Irving only found any sort of postseason success when playing by James’ side, and he’s by far the best point guard LeBron has ever shared the floor with.
Unfortunately, barring a major turn of events, it seems like that reunion just won’t happen, although one never knows with a player like Kyrie.
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