Kyrie Irving reveals he seriously considered joining LeBron James at the Los Angeles Lakers last season but points fingers at team higher-ups for not making it happen. The missed opportunity to reignite the dynamic duo’s on-court chemistry left fans buzzing and speculating on what could have been.
With rumors swirling, Irving’s candid admission sheds light on the behind-the-scenes drama that kept this dream reunion from becoming a reality. Despite the tantalizing prospect of seeing these two superstars back in action together, it seems fate had other plans.
Irving told FOX Sports’ Melissa Rohlin he considered reuniting with James, joining the Los Angeles Lakers after requesting a trade from the Nets in 2023.
“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.”
While the trio of Irving, James, and Anthony Davis likely would have resulted in more wins for the Lakers this season, the pairing of Irving and Luka Doncic in Dallas has shown potential.
In his first full season with the Mavericks, Irving is in a position to close out the LA Clippers in Game 6 as Dallas leads the series 3-2. In a world where Irving ends up with the Lakers, there is no telling how things would have ended up, or whether he would have received a contract extension like he did with the Mavericks.
Now, things will get interesting as James can opt out of his contract this offseason and become an unrestricted free agent. Maybe Irving can do a bit of recruiting to get James into the DFW to make a title push with Doncic and his former teammate.
Kyrie Irving seriously thought over teaming up with LeBron James again but threw shade at the team officials for dropping the ball. The drama, the what-ifs, and the blame game have all played out in this NBA saga. It’s like a reality show but with more dribbling and fewer roses.