Kyrie Irving Had Interest in Reuniting With Lakers’ LeBron James Before Mavericks Deal, per Report

The Los Angeles star was reportedly open to the idea.

Before he re-signed with the Dallas Mavericks during free agency this summer, Kyrie Irving was interested in reuniting with LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. 

After a turbulent stint with the Brooklyn Nets, Irving was traded to the Mavericks on Feb. 6, 2023, and finished the season there before entering the offseason with nothing but time since his team didn’t make the postseason. Irving typically stays in Los Angeles during the summer and used his free time to attend a Lakers playoff game with an agenda. 

Fans saw Irving greeting James during warmups before the Lakers’ home game against the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 6 of their first-round series and, according to Shelburne, Irving was there to send a message to James that he wanted to join forces once again.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) guards Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the fourth quarter at American Airlines Center :: Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports

The tandem was nearly unstoppable during their days with the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning the 2016 NBA title together. James was open to the reunion, but wasn’t too pushy about it given how the team’s Russell Westbrook experiment resulted so poorly. And, sure enough, the reunion never happened.

Irving re-signed with Dallas at the start of free agency for three years and $126 million, while the Lakers prioritized continuity after a Western Conference Finals run that ended with a sweep at the hands of the eventual champion Denver Nuggets. 

In the end, both sides weren’t in sync and nothing was finalized—leaving it more and more likely Irving and James might never be teammates again.