Getty LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers.
When Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James’ former teammate Kyrie Irving – who is a member of the Dallas Mavericks – showed up for L.A.’s Game 6 tilt against the Memphis Grizzlies during last season’s playoffs, it was a public spectacle.
Current players often generate buzz when they attend games. Someone of Irving’s stature, with the connections he has on the team, was no different.
At the same time, there were also swirling trade rumors, which Irving looked to impact.
“He was … about to become a free agent, and according to sources close to him, Irving had a strong interest in reuniting with James — the man he’d won an NBA championship with as Cavaliers back in 2016 — either in Los Angeles or Dallas,” wrote ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne on January 17.
“Irving was there, sources close to him say, to send that very message.”
LJ & Kai pregame in LA!
The Mavericks ultimately re-signed Irving on a three-year, $120 million contract this past offseason.
But only after heavy speculation and internal debate over his potential future with the Lakers.
“For nearly a year, the Lakers had extended internal discussions about whether to pursue Irving via trade or free agency,” Shelburne continued. “James was open to the idea, sources said, but careful not to do anything that would be seen as a push.”
Shelburne notes the timing with the Lakers still course-correcting following the trade for Russell Westbrook, which they admit was a bad idea, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on January 9.
Irving showed up again for Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.
By then, Shelburne continued, it was a “moot” point with the Lakers’ strong finish and the Mavericks set on bringing Irving back. Dallas was also dealing with rumors of potential dissatisfaction on the part of star Luka Doncic.
Lakers’ Decision to Pass on Kyrie Irving ‘Reverberates With Every Loss’
“Seven months later … the impact of that choice reverberates with every loss,” Shelburne writes. “Outside of an All-Star Game, that’s likely the way it will stay between James and Irving.
“By all accounts, Irving is happy in Dallas and with the way he has been received.”
Kai on Bron selecting him to his All-Star roster and him being a first-hand witness to a lot of LBJ’s accomplishments over the years
Rumors link the Lakers to several other guards during this trade window. None of them have been Irving, though. Dallas is also fifth in the Western Conference standings, meaning they would most likely be looking to improve their team.
Any trade the Lakers make ahead of the deadline figures to be as buyers. That means offloading some of their more onerous contracts.
Lakers Aiming to Keep LeBron James’ ‘Understudy’
Perhaps complicating things for the Lakers this trade cycle is their desire to hang on to a couple of their more popular players in the rumor mill: Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
The Lakers’ stance on Reaves has not changed.
But many considered Hachimura — whom James called his understudy — to be one of the Lakers’ more likely trade candidates at this year’s deadline along with D’Angelo Russell. Russell may still be on the trading block. But he alone is not expected to bring back much in a trade.
Whatever the Lakers do – or don’t do – at the deadline, it appears they won’t be trading for Irving.