When Kyrie Irving attended a first round playoff game at Crypto.com Arena between the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies last April, sources tell ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that it was intended to send the message that he had strong interest in reuniting with LeBron James either in Los Angeles or Dallas.
Irving lives in Los Angeles and was set to become a free agent during the 2023 offseason.
The Lakers had held internal discussions since June 2022 on whether to pursue Irving. James was open to the idea of acquiring Irving.
Irving again attended a home playoff game for the Lakers a few weeks later with this one being Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. By that time, it had become clear that Irving would re-sign with the Mavericks and that the Lakers had found a winning formula in a less top-heaving team.
Irving went on to sign a three-year, $126 million contract with the Mavericks.
“I don’t think I blame [the Lakers] for doing what they did,” a Western Conference executive told ESPN. “Kyrie hadn’t proven he could be stable, like he has been this season. [And] LeBron is simultaneously the most life-giving player to an organization but also the ultimate force-multiplier who totally makes you believe you are better than you are because he just makes everything work.”