People in the Lakers organization had internal discussions to acquire Kyrie Irving from the Nets, reports SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley.
Irving would have rejoined LeBron James, whom he won the NBA title with in 2016 with the Cavaliers over the 73-9 Warriors – it was the city’s first championship in 52 years.
Just a season later, Irving requested and was granted a trade away from James to the Boston Celtics. They were teammates from 2014 to 2017.
Begley notes it’s unclear if the Lakers reached any internal consensus on Irving at the time.
Irving admitted earlier this week that he began to think of a future without the Nets while he wasn’t playing for them due to his vaccination status. He and the Nets were swept by his former Celtics last week in the first round of the playoffs.
