Back at the trade deadline in 2023, the Lakers and Nets discussed a Kyrie Irving trade. LeBron James wanted to reunite with the man he won a ring with in Cleveland, Irving wanted it, but the two teams couldn’t agree on a deal. Ultimately, Irving was traded to Dallas (and while the Lakers speculated about a trade for Irving to the Mavericks last summer, Dallas had no real interest).
That trade to Dallas worked out well for Irving. With him and his Mavericks tip-off of the NBA Finals on Thursday evening And Irving looks like a mature, elder statesmanLeBron had the most praise for Irving at the “Mind the Game” podcast with LeBron and JJ Redick that dropped on Tuesday.
“I’m so damn happy and so proud to see him continue to grow. At the same time, I’m so damn angry that I’m not his running mate anymore.”
LeBron also referenced Irving scoring 24 points in the first half of Game 1 against the vaunted Minnesota Timberwolves defense.
“That was like, ‘Oh damn, Dallas might not only win the Western Conference Finals, but might win the whole thing.’ [Irving as a] wild card. … He’s the most gifted player the NBA has ever seen.”
High praise – and Irving will have to deliver if Dallas wants to upset Boston and become NBA champions. Most likely, Boston will start with Jaylen Brown on Luka Doncic and Jrue Holiday on Irving – and Holiday has had success in the past by at least keeping Irving in check (Irving is too skilled to be stopped, but Holiday slows him down and make him work for his points). Boston’s five-out offense puts up runs against the Mavericks. The challenge for Dallas is keeping up with their offense, and that starts with Irving.
Irving is stuck with Dallas (one more season for $41 million, then a player option for 2025-26 for almost $44 million), and he’s central to their chances of winning a title with Luka Doncic in the coming years. his best. Irving has been a model teammate and citizen in Dallas and seems comfortable and happy there.
For LeBron, all he can do is watch and imagine what could have happened.
