Contrary to popular belief, the Los Angeles Lakers were among the teams that made an offer for superstar point guard Kyrie Irving years ago. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the pursuit was aggressive, and the Lakers offered an impressive package of several key assets.
“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 him to Dallas in a package that included Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected first-round pick in 2029, and two second-round picks.”
Irving’s availability only lasted a few days that season, and the Lakers were just one of several teams calling to make offers. With Hall of Fame point guard Russell Westbrook proving to be a bad fit for the team, the Lakers theorized that Irving would be much better for them, and he was one of the few players they were willing to sacrifice their last bit of draft capital for.
The deal centered around All-Star guard Russell Westbrook (a 1x MVP with the Thunder) and two first-round picks, but the Nets refused to accept the package and left the Lakers hanging in favor of a deal from the Mavericks involving Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and several draft picks.
“The Lakers’ offer centered on Russell Westbrook and two future first-round picks in 2027 and 2029, sources told ESPN.”
LeBron James, a 4x champion, had been campaigning for the Lakers to sign Irving and went so far as to publicly comment about his desire to play with him once again. Sadly, the Nets were unimpressed with the Russell Westbrook package, and the Lakers had to make a trade for D’Angelo Russell that season instead.
At the time, it made sense why the Lakers were hesitant to offer more, but they should have made a better package. Instead of just Westbrook and picks, the Lakers could have offered Austin Reaves or Lonnie Walker IV to sweeten the deal. As two young guards with potential, they would have surely made better replacements for Irving than Westbrook, and the Lakers made a mistake not including at least one of them in trade talks.
In the end, the Lakers didn’t put enough on the table and got outbid by a Mavericks team that is now four wins away from winning the championship. Since LeBron, 39, is likely to return next season, many within the franchise are feeling regret over letting their best chance for another championship pass them by.
Kyrie Irving Was Open To A Reunion
Uncle Drew was drafted by the Cavaliers back in 2011, and he quickly blossomed into a star. By his second season, he was considered a top-five point guard in the league with averages of 22.5 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game on 49.7% shooting.
Irving, now a 12-year veteran, was still on the roster when 20x All-Star LeBron James returned to the Cavaliers in 2014, and he was initially happy to settle into a role as the lead sidekick. But a year after winning the championship in 2016, Irving grew unhappy with his situation and left in a dramatic exit.
Despite the ugly circumstances of their breakup, Kyrie is still open to a reunion with the King and he didn’t shy away from it when recently presented with the idea of joining together again.
“Everything was considered. He’s a great friend of mine, a great brother of mine,” said Irving. “We obviously played together [in Cleveland]. Everybody knows our history.”
The Lakers could have thrived with Kyrie and LeBron James running the show, especially considering where Irving is now as the Western Conference champion in the Finals. You have to give the Mavericks credit for coming up with the winning offer, but it’s hard not to think how fun and dominant the Lakers could have been with the two superstars reunited like old times.
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