It didn’t take Kyrie Irving long to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks this summer, but it wasn’t that long ago when a reunion with one of his greatest teammates was at the forefront of his mind. According to ESPN NBA insider Ramona Shelburne, Irving was more than open to playing with LeBron James again and even went so far as to try and recruit him during a Lakers playoff game against the Grizzlies last summer.
“Irving lives in Los Angeles in the offseason, and he had an open calendar after the Dallas Mavericks failed to make the playoffs,” wrote Shelburne. “But he was also about to become a free agent, and according to sources close to him, Irving had a strong interest in reuniting with James — either in Los Angeles or Dallas. Irving was there, sources close to him say, to send that very message.”
The game in question was on April 28th, and Irving’s presence on the sidelines sparked buzz across the NBA community. But by the time the opportunity came this past July, LeBron decided to stay in Los Angeles and the Lakers chose not to pursue Irving, leaving the 8x All-Star no choice but to remain with the Mavericks.
Major Regret For The Lakers?
LeBron was practically begging the Lakers to sign or trade for Irving this summer. But, at the time, the thinking in Los Angeles was that the Lakers were better off beefing up their supporting cast rather than going top-heavy for another star. After watching his team mount a massive second-half comeback and make the Conference Finals, GM Rob Pelinka was convinced that giving up the team’s continuity would be a detriment to their future.
But at just 20-21 on the season, it’s clear that the Lakers don’t have enough to make a meaningful run and the only way out is to make another trade. The truth is, had the Lakers just traded for Kyrie Irving like he wanted them to, they’d more than likely be in a much better situation right now. This move, among others, has really cost the Lakers this season and the pressure is mounting on them to salvage the situation before their title window slams shut for good.
A Dominant Duo
When it comes to all-time NBA partnerships, there may be none greater in modern basketball times than LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. They weren’t long together, but they were effective during their three-year run with the Cavaliers. In three years, the duo made three straight trips to the Finals including a championship in 2016, which is widely considered the most impressive comeback in NBA history. So while their success together is inarguable, there is still some debate about why they split up and parted ways so soon.
According to Irving himself, it wasn’t anything personal with LeBron that drove him out of Cleveland and he actually just wanted to “try something new.” Whatever the case, fate almost brought him back to LeBron just a few months ago and they could have been teammates again on either the Lakers or Mavericks had things worked out a little differently. instead, LeBron must look on in envy as he watches Irving torch the league on the perimeter just like he needs one of his teammates to do on the Lakers right now.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
