New Report Confirms LeBron Is Recruiting Kyrie Irving Back to Cavs Before Decision

According to a new report, LeBron James was trying to angle for a blockbuster reunion before making any decision.

Mar 17, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) meets with Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (2) during a time out in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

As the NBA world awaits a decision from free agent superstar LeBron James, new reporting is giving more insight about what could be taking so long.

According to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor, LeBron’s camp has been positioning to see if the Cleveland Cavaliers or Golden State Warriors would be able to pull off a blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis or Kyrie Irving.

The Washington Wizards are consistent in their messaging that they aren’t willing to move on from Davis, and it feels like the Dallas Mavericks want to move forward with Irving, also. ESPN’s senior NBA writer Vince Goodwill reported that LeBron has been "angling" for Kyrie Irving to join him in Cleveland with the Cavs.

The Cavs would’ve likely included James Harden in a sign-and-trade with the Mavericks, but a deal doesn’t feel imminent.

According to NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, Irving is open to returning to Cleveland at some point. But right now, he’s the starting point guard in Dallas, who have building expectations around Rookie of the Year winner Cooper Flagg.

Kyrie and LeBron in Cleveland would be storybook ending

LeBron and Kyrie made sweet music together during their time together with the Cavs from 2014-2017. Irving was one of the league’s most exciting young stars and was part of the reason why LeBron decided to return back to Cleveland in the first place.

Irving’s three-point shot in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals helped snap Cleveland’s five-decade long championship drought. The next season, when the Cavs ran into the Warriors in the NBA Finals with Kevin Durant, they were overmatched, and Irving requested a trade.

But Irving’s fallout with LeBron and trade from Cleveland is a moment that he regrets in his career. LeBron is on the record stating he believes he could’ve won more titles in Cleveland with Irving on the roster. 

Even though he’s dealt with injuries and hasn’t had much sustained success in the postseason since leaving the Cavs, LeBron and Irving returning to Cleveland together would be a storybook ending.

Not to mention, Irving is slightly younger than Harden and is probably less of a liability in the NBA postseason. That would’ve helped things, too.

Just because a trade isn’t on the table right now doesn’t mean that one can’t happen. What if the Mavericks have some injuries or get off to a slow start? Maybe they’d be willing to flip Irving back to Cleveland.

Regardless, Cavs fans should be encouraged that LeBron was already doing some positioning behind the scenes to improve this roster. Even though the Cavaliers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals a few months ago for the first time without LeBron since the 1990s, they were swept in an uncompetitive series against the New York Knicks. Their seven-game showdowns against the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors proved that the Cavs don’t have a big talent gap in the East.

Landing championship-proven players like LeBron, Irving or Davis would be a huge win for Cleveland. But it feels like a trade might be too difficult for Cavs President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman to pull off, so LeBron coming home might just have to be the next domino that falls.