Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James never persuaded Kyrie Irving to join Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James conversed with Kyrie Irving this offseason, but never attempted to recruit Irving to join the Lakers.
Headed into the summer, it appeared like there was a fair chance Kyrie Irving was going to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. Certainly, if it had happened, it is the kind of story the media would have eaten up in a heartbeat.
Irving was teammates with LeBron James for several years while on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite their relationship being far from perfect, the two ultimately won a world championship for Ohio.
Because they have played with one another, the All-Stars are already aware of one another’s tendencies. That only made the hypothetical script all the more interesting.
Thus, it had some folks thinking about the possibility of the two uniting once again for old time’s sake. On the one hand, it is impossible to not think about the obvious history between the two. Additionally, Irving’s tenure with the Boston Celtics did not go as planned.
The latter factor is certainly an important one here. The Celtics’ 2018-2019 campaign was chock full of dysfunction. That may not even be an adequate way to put it.
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Accordingly, change was on the horizon for Irving. Staying in Boston was never among the possibilities for the man who has broken one too many ankles to count.
As Matthew Schmidt of ClutchPoints pointed out, speculation about Irving coming to Los Angeles erupted before the season ever ended. The point guard reportedly reached out to James and apologized about the way things ended in Cleveland.
As a result, many were led to believe the Lakers were a legitimate landing spot for Irving. James and his old teammate were clearly on better terms, which was an encouraging sign.
It is also crucial to bear in mind a key element relative to the Lakers. Once the team emptied up enough cap space to sign someone to a maximum deal, that only caused more rumors to swell up.
The Lakers are currently without a point guard given the blockbuster Anthony Davis trade. Therefore, Irving would have naturally filled that glaring void.
In spite of the speculation, though, Irving to the Lakers was never meant to be. According to Corey Hansford of Lakers Nation, James never even made the attempt to recruit Uncle Drew.
Granted The King did not ever persuade Irving to come to the Lakers, the two did talk before free agency kicked off. Joe Varden of The Athletic confirmed this in a piece he recently compiled.
Albeit that is good on a personal level, any level of conversation between the pair was friendly at best. There was evidently no ulterior motive behind their chatting. Moreover, as Varden revealed, it seems like Irving was destined to be a Brooklyn Net when all was said and done. You can read Varden’s full article with a paid subscription to The Athletic.
On that note, it makes sense that LeBron never recruited the former Celtic. Irving had his heart set on becoming a member of the Brooklyn Nets. If LeBron would have even attempted to talk to Irving about a reunion, it would have been inconsequential.
Irving ultimately signed a four-year pact with the Nets. He will get the lucky opportunity to play alongside Kevin Durant, who signed with Brooklyn this weekend as well.
On account of this, the Lakers have shifted their eyes toward Kawhi Leonard. He is easily the best remaining player on the free agent market.
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Unlike many other free agents, though, rumor has it that Leonard intends to take his time making his decision. He has always been quieter in nature, so it is no surprise that the two-time champ is being deliberate.
Although Irving to L.A. did not transpire, the Lakers have a lot of recruiting to take care of. Their roster is rather bare, so expect a lot of change in the near future.