When the Dallas Mavericks traded for Kyrie Irving on Sunday, there were ripple effects felt around the NBA. For one, it was the true opening of trade deadline week, offering an indication that teams were finally ready to start making deals and get down to business after weeks of posturing and plenty of pessimism that teams would meet the astronomical asking prices for stars.
It also meant a few contenders missed out on Irving, with the Lakers and Suns at the top of that list. Phoenix reportedly offered up Chris Paul and now is dealing with the fallout of that offer getting out into the public, with Paul brushing it aside as part of the business on Monday. The Lakers offered Russell Westbrook and their two firsts, but wouldn’t give up all of their young players and some pick swaps in the deal as well, leading the Nets to turn to Dallas.
On Sunday night, LeBron James appeared to offer up some of his feelings on the trade with a brief tweet saying “Maybe it’s me,” but on Monday he made a much longer statement to ESPN’s Michael Wilbon, opening up about being “disappointed” because he felt Kyrie could’ve helped win championships and now shifting his focus back to the group they have.
LeBron sat down with @RealMikeWilbon to share his thoughts on the Lakers not being able to trade for his former teammate Kyrie Irving:
“I can’t sit here and say I’m not disappointed on not being able to land such a talent.” pic.twitter.com/2smRTk3Y0c
— ESPN (@espn) February 6, 2023
“Well definitely disappointing. I can’t sit here and say I’m not disappointed about not being able to land such a talent, but someone I had great chemistry with and know I have great chemistry with on the floor that can help you win championships — in my mind, in my eyes,” LeBron says. “My focus has shifted now. My focus has shifted back to where it should be, and that’s this club now and what we have in the locker room. It’s a quick pivot. It don’t take me long. I don’t get too excited about the possibilities of things that can be. I kinda envision myself on what it can, but I don’t invest it all the way until I know it’s happening. And when it does not happen I’m back locked in on the job at hand. So, we had an opportunity, out name was out there, the Lakers name was out there, we had an opportunity, it didn’t happen. We move on and we finish this season strong and try to get a bid into the postseason, where I feel if we go in healthy, we can compete with anybody.”
While LeBron can be disappointed, it seems the Lakers weren’t really ever in the lead position for Irving based on what has come out since the deal. Nets owner Joe Tsai apparently wanted to send Irving anywhere else knowing that Kyrie’s preferred destination was L.A., and on top of that, the Westbrook package would have almost assuredly not been a return that would’ve excited Kevin Durant. There are already rumblings KD could be back on the market, mere months after rescinding his trade request, but adding his old teammate who became a nemesis for years and a package of picks certainly would not have had Durant looking at the Nets as a long-term home.
In any case, there are three days left before the deadline and the Lakers now have to figure out what else they can do to upgrade the roster, or as James says, they’ll spend the next few months scrapping just trying to get a play-in bid.