The championship duo of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving was one of the most iconic duos of the 2010s. LeBron, who was 12 years into the league, played with Kyrie in his third year. Both played 3 Finals together and got Cleveland their first ring. Though after a while, their on-court relationship started going downhill.
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Eventually, both left Cleveland and went separate ways. While things didn’t seem reasonable among them, LeBron tried to sort everything out after his last season with the Cavs. However, his attempt to get things under control did not make any difference.
LeBron James tried to recruit Irving to the Lakers
After LeBron and Kyrie lost against the Warriors in the 2017 Finals, Irving requested a trade, wanting out of Cleveland. This left LeBron all by himself, though it didn’t matter as he would lead the Cavs to the Finals that season. When things didn’t seem to fit with LeBron as well, he left Cleveland and signed with the Lakers.
Kyrie played his last season with the Celtics and was expected to sign with either the Knicks or the Nets. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, LeBron tried to recruit Kyrie to the Lakers.
Report: LeBron James reached out to Kyrie Irving to mend fences in 2019 only for it to disappear after he chose Nets https://t.co/tKmb4V07Rk
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 19, 2022
Irving’s reply was him signing with the Nets. Though Kyrie wasn’t exactly alone in Brooklyn, as he was joined by Kevin Durant. Kyrie could’ve signed with the Lakers, playing alongside LeBron and young talent, which could’ve resulted in his second ring with LeBron, as the Lakers won their 17th championship in 2020.
The 2020 Lakers included Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, Danny Green, and Rajon Rondo. Irving could’ve replaced Rondo and started for the team as one of the primary scorers. Though it didn’t happen, Kyrie now has a chance to join LeBron if he wants to.
Irving can decline his player option to join LeBron
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Kyrie has a player option with the Nets for the 2022-23 season. He can decline that option and choose to live in Los Angeles. Irving hasn’t played past the second round with the Nets. The Celtics swept Kyrie and KD earlier this postseason in the first round, which was a big upset.
Whereas for LeBron, his Lakers couldn’t even manage to make the Play-In tournament. LeBron and company were expected to be championship contenders, but the team didn’t seem developed well enough. Seeing the tough competition in the West, it would be better for Kyrie to stay in the East.
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It will be interesting to see where Kyrie would want to land next.