LeBron James Doesn't Hold Back His Disappointment Over Kyrie Irving's Trade

LeBron James wanted nothing more than to play with former teammate Kyrie Irving once again. The two basketball stars previously played together for the Cleveland Cavaliers and even won an NBA championship together in 2016, per ESPN. James was hoping to recreate that same magic on the Los Angeles Lakers, but his dreams came crashing down when Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

Irving's move to the Mavericks comes after he asked to be traded from his current team, the Brooklyn Nets. ESPN reports that the Lakers and Mavericks were going head-to-head to acquire the all-star. Sources told the outlet, the Lakers' proposal involved trading Russell Westbrook and "two future first-round draft picks." Although the deal seemed fair, the Nets decided to choose the Mavericks' offer, which involved trading Mavericks players Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finne-Smith. In addition, the Mavericks gave the Nets their first-round pick in the 2029 NBA draft as well as two of their second-round picks.

While many may say this is a good trade, there may be another reason why the Nets chose the Mavericks over the Lakers. According to the New York Post, Irving was hoping to go to the Lakers. However, the Nets' owner, Joe Tsai, reportedly refused to let that happen after the difficult time Irving has had with the team. That includes his refusal to be vaccinated for COVID-19, causing him to miss a lot of games. Irving is sure to be disappointed, but he's not the only one. 

Lebron James' cryptic tweet after Kyrie Irving's trade to the Dallas Mavericks confused fans on how he was truly feeling. The Lakers star later sat down with Michael Wilbon and spoke about how the possibility of playing with Irving was stripped from him, per ESPN. He said, "I can't sit here and say I'm not disappointed on not being able to land such a talent, but [also] someone that I had great chemistry with and know I got great chemistry with on the floor that can help you win championships." It's clear James has respect for Irving, as the two understood one another on and off the court. 

Now that he knows Irving isn't coming to the Lakers, James' attention has returned to his current teammates. "My focus is shifted back to where it should be, and that's this club now and what we have in the locker room," he shared. Wilbon commented on how fast James was able to move on from the trade, but the Lakers star doesn't like to focus on what could have been. "We had an opportunity. It didn't happen," James stated. 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."