Kyrie Irving Had 'Strong Interest' in LeBron James Reunion on Mavs or Lakers
LOS ANGELES — Before the Dallas Mavericks face off against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday — a matchup televised on ABC, part of the Disney family, much like ESPN — the topic of Kyrie Irving's prior interest in teaming up with LeBron James surfaced just in time to spark interest in the matchup.
According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Irving had a "strong interest" in reuniting with his former teammate, James, whether with the Lakers or the Mavs. The message was reportedly meant to be conveyed by his attendance at Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals at Crypto.com Arena.
"Irving lives in Los Angeles in the offseason, and he had an open calendar after the Dallas Mavericks failed to make the playoffs," Shelburne wrote. "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 -- the man he'd won an NBA championship with as Cavaliers back in 2016 -- either in Los Angeles or Dallas.
"Irving was there, sources close to him say, to send that very message."
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Shelburne reported the Lakers had "extended internal discussion" pondering whether to trade for or sign Irving in free agency while he was exiting with the Brooklyn Nets before the February trade deadline. James was "open" to reuniting with Irving, but the occurrence came when the team still had to try to make it work with Russell Westbrook. During the playoffs, Shams Charnaia of The Athletic reported Irving's attempt to recruit James to sign with the Mavs.
The Mavs, who traded Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, a 2029 first-round pick, and multiple second-round picks, were motivated to re-sign Irving, with the trade made initially to gain the advantage of holding the superstar guard's Bird rights ahead of his free agency. He ended up re-signing on a three-year, $120 million contract with a final-year player option.
Irving, who is averaging 25.8 points, 5.4 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in 25 games this season, told reporters during training camp that Dallas was at the top of his free agency list, with the help of his agent Shetellia Riley-Irving and the Mavs making it a simple process to get a deal done.
"It started with my agent, Shetellia, who is also my stepmother, family-run business, so she has my best interests at heart," Irving said in September. "It wasn't too difficult of a process. I had Dallas as number one on my list."
Before the 2023-24 campaign, Irving conveyed confidence in his choice to re-sign with the team that he strongly weighed his options with his family — understanding that remaining in Dallas was the right choice.
"I took my time, a few days before free agency, just to be with my family to gauge how they felt about being in Dallas alongside me, and everybody was excited," Irving said during training camp. "Even when I got traded here at midseason, a lot of my family was excited, and they were just looking forward to me having peace of mind on and off the court.
"I had already dealt with enough this past season, or the past two seasons, so they knew that I just wanted a lot of that off my back and my shoulders," Irving explained. "There was a feeling like I had to be Superman or I had to be perfect. I just wanted to be myself … just figuring myself out.
"I think this is the best place to do it and continue to mature and grow as a man.”
Irving did acknowledge that he surveyed his options — as any 31-year-old superstar would — before reaching his free agency decision. The Lakers were not a viable option due to the Mavs' unwillingness to cooperate with a sign-and-trade. No NBA team would trade for a superstar on an expiring contract after making the calculated risk to help facilitate their departure to a rival team.
"I looked elsewhere at salary cap opportunities where I could fit in with other guys around the league, but it just wasn't much space," Irving said during training camp. "With me being 31, I had to have a different vantage point, and I felt like I could not just settle here but be happy to come back here and be welcomed back with a warm embrace. I took everything into account."
A key motivation for Irving to return to Dallas was to continue to build on his partnership with Luka Doncic — a reigning four-time All-NBA First-Team guard who continues to elevate his game each season. The two have thrived alongside each other as they continue to establish continuity and add layers to their approach despite only being able to play 20 of the team's 41 games together this season.
"I was looking towards the future while also being aware that it takes time to build a great team, takes time to build chemistry, and with Luka and me, we're so skilled he makes the game easy for everyone around him," Irving said during training camp. "I think we got a lot of open shots last year because of how much attention he garnered. I was coming in trying to alleviate some of that pressure."
James will be 40 next season, and his future has become one to monitor as he can enter free agency if he declines his $51.4 million player option. When discussing his input on roster moves, Irving hinted at recruiting some "pretty interesting" names that could emerge on the market in the summer of 2024.
"I'm happy about the moves," Irving said during training camp. "They asked me what I thought throughout the summertime. Even in our closing meetings, they just asked me questions, trying to gauge who I wanted to play with and who I saw on the market. Who in this next free agency class and the next couple of free agency classes will be available? Pretty interesting."
The Mavs remain motivated to upgrade at the power forward position ahead of the trade linked, being linked to names like Pascal Siakam, Jerami Grant, P.J. Washington, and Dorian Finney-Smith. While the logistics would be complicated if James were willing to get creative, could he become a name to monitor? Stay tuned...
