Asked by ESPN on Monday for his reaction about the Lakers being unable to acquire Kyrie Irving, LeBron James said, “I can’t sit here and say I’m not disappointed on not being able to land such a talent.” In other words, if you are wondering if James is less than thrilled, you need only to quote the man himself when he was initially asked if he would be interested in playing with Irving again: Duh.
Irving is headed to the Mavericks, while James and the Lakers are still looking to upgrade a squad that enters trade deadline week on the outside looking in of the play-in, let alone the playoffs. And with a major player (literally and figuratively) off the board, Los Angeles desperately needs to pivot to a backup plan to salvage its season.
While Irving’s fit in Dallas both on and off the court comes with a host of questions, he made much more sense for the Lakers. Los Angeles is operating in a much different space than the Mavs. LeBron is 38 and the clock is ticking on his career. Anthony Davis is finally healthy. And the duo has shown before they can be the center of a championship squad with the right pieces around them. Irving likely won’t lift Dallas as a No. 2 option. As the third-best player on the Lakers, he made much more sense. Especially considering if anyone was built to deal with his unreliable tendencies, it’s James.
