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Kyrie Irving considered joining LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers after he requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets in 2023, the Dallas Mavericks star told FOX Sports’ Melissa Rohlin.
Irving joined Luka Dončić and the Mavericks instead of reuniting with James, his former teammate with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Everything was considered,” Irving told Rohlin. “He’s a great friend of mine, a great brother of mine. We obviously played together [in Cleveland]. Everybody knows our history. But there were so many different factors in between. When it comes to business decisions, you have to ask the GMs, the presidents why certain things didn’t work out.”
Irving and the Mavericks are hoping to advance to the second round with a Friday night win over the Los Angeles Clippers. James and the Lakers were eliminated Monday after losing in five games by the Denver Nuggets.
When asked in February 2023 if the addition of Irving would make the Lakers better, James answered, “I would say that’s a ‘duh’ question.”
Irving was traded to the Mavericks the following the day.
Irving entered free agency the following offseason before re-signing with the Mavericks last September.
After Dallas missed the playoffs last season, Irving “had a strong interest in reuniting with James… either in Los Angeles or Dallas,” ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported in January.
According to Shelburne, the Lakers had held “internal discussions” about potentially pursuing Irving for almost a year, but decided to stick with re-signing their 2023 core instead after the team completed a surprise run to the Western Conference finals.
“Had Dallas as No. 1 on my list,” Irving told reporters after inking his three-year deal with the Mavericks, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “Obviously I looked elsewhere— salary cap opportunities, where I could fit in with other guys around the league— but there just wasn’t much space.”
Irving and James played three seasons together in Cleveland, where they ended the city’s 52-year championship drought by leading the Cavaliers to the franchise’s first NBA title in 2016.
That run ended when Irving requested a trade in 2017 in pursuit of a larger role with another team, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
It now sounds like James and Irving could be ready to work together again, if the front offices building the rosters around them are also interested in such a move.
James has yet to commit to his player option for the 2024-25 season, so there still a chance the two could play together again in the future if the Mavericks decide to pursue the Lakers star this offseason.
