Former teammates Kyrie Irving and LeBron James were nearly reunited. In 2016, the two won an NBA Championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers after a miraculous 3-1 comeback victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Since their departure, James has won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, while Irving continues to seek his second career championship, this time with the Dallas Mavericks.
Before being moved to Dallas, Irving was considering what offseason moves he could make following his final season with the Brooklyn Nets, where he signed in 2019 to play alongside Kevin Durant.
Irving told FOX Sports’ Melissa Rohlin that he pondered reuniting with James by joining the Los Angeles Lakers after demanding a trade from the Nets in 2023.
“Everything was considered,” Irving informed Rohlin. “He is a dear buddy and brother of mine. We certainly played together in Cleveland. Everyone understands our past. But there were so many variables in between. When it comes to company judgments, you must ask the general managers and presidents why some things did not work out.
While the Lakers’ three of Irving, James, and Anthony Davis would have certainly won more games this season, Irving’s pairing with Luka Doncic in Dallas has shown promise.
Irving, in his first full season with the Mavericks, is in position to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 6 of the series, which Dallas leads 3-2. If Irving had signed with the Lakers, it’s impossible to say what would have happened or whether he would have received a contract extension as he did with the Mavericks.
Things will become intriguing now that James has the option to opt out of his contract in the winter and become an unrestricted free agent. Perhaps Irving can do some recruiting to bring James to DFW to compete for the crown with Doncic and his former teammate.
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