Lakers' 2023 Trade Offer for Kyrie Irving Beat the Mavericks'... But He Was Shipped to Dallas Anyway

One of the biggest storylines that surrounded the Los Angeles Lakers over the last few years was their pursuit of star point guard Kyrie Irving. Irving was almost dealt to the Lakers from the Brooklyn Nets but the reluctance from Nets owner Joseph Tsai caused the deal to not happen.

According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the Lakers' offer to the Nets for Irving was better than what he ultimately was traded for. Irving was sent to the Dallas Mavericks, ending the dream of reuniting LeBron James and Irving.

The Lakers reportedly offered Russell Westbrook and two first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving, per @mcten

“The Los Angeles Lakers were one of several teams to aggressively pursue Irving leading up to the trade deadline before the Brooklyn Nets ultimately sent… pic.twitter.com/Bx1qIEnGL8
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 4, 2024

There were reports that Tsai didn't want to send Irving to the Lakers (his preferred destination) after everything he put Brooklyn through. Irving sat out of games during the COVID-19 vaccine mandate and had multiple off-the-court incidents that damaged his reputation.

However, this rumored Lakers' offer to Brooklyn looks a lot better than what Dallas gave them. If this is true, the Nets allowed pettiness to run the show, which got them a worse deal.

Irving could have been with James and Anthony Davis, creating one of the most lethal big threes in NBA history. But instead, he is now playing in the NBA Finals with Dallas and the Lakers are at home. It's all about timing and Irving becoming a member of the Lakers just wasn't meant to be.

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