One of the biggest reasons why LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers after his stint with the Miami Heat was the rise of Kyrie Irving. At the time LeBron was with the Heat, Irving developed into a good player.
Thus, it made James’ decision to return to the Cavs a bit easier. From day 1, LBJ and Kai formed a great duo, which fans instantly fell in love with. The cherry on the top was that each season that the two stars played together, they went to the NBA Finals.
More importantly, they ended up winning the 2016 NBA Championship, thanks to the heroics of James and Irving. But soon the fairytale run came to an end with Irving wanting his own team and deciding to join the Boston Celtics.
Fast forward to 2022, for the last few days, it looked like Kyrie and LeBron might be reunited to play together for the Los Angeles Lakers. Kyrie appeared to be unsatisfactory with the Nets and was unable to iron out a new contract for himself.
Well, he didn’t sign a long-term extension with the team, but he did opt into his player option. This means the only way that the Lakers can get him is with a regular trade and unfortunately the Purple & Gold currently have no good assets to offer to the Nets.
A longtime critic of LeBron James, Skip Bayless, once again emerged from the shadows and used this opportunity to troll LBJ on Twitter, or we can say he tried to do so.
Guess Kyrie didn't want a second chance with LeBron THAT bad – not lose-$30-mil bad. So, after wrecking the Nets last season, he's forced to play with them next season for a mere $36.5 mil. Some guys just can't get a break.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 27, 2022
“Guess Kyrie didn’t want a second chance with LeBron THAT bad – not lose-$30-mil bad. So, after wrecking the Nets last season, he’s forced to play with them next season for a mere $36.5 mil. Some guys just can’t get a break.”
Bayless’ sarcasm is clearly visible in his tweet. Well, at the end of the day, Kyrie coming to the Lakers was a very long shot.
If you think about it with a clear head, there is hardly anyone out there who would leave $30 million on the table. Kyrie did what was best for himself and his future in the NBA. Now, he will have a chance to prove his worth to the Nets and convince the team to give him the enormous contract that he is in search of.
