Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving might be the most popular player in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Game 1 less than 48 hours away and the eight-time All-Star is the talk of the league. Indeed, a growing throng of supporters enamored by both his rarefied talent and the way he’s carried himself off the court. This has led to no shortage of stories about Irving – all positive, for once. Just today, former teammate LeBron James revealed how chagrined he was to lose Irving as a teammate.
Lakers’ Trade Offer for Kyrie Irving, Revealed
It’s interesting to think that the Los Angeles Lakers, who James still plays for until he says otherwise, almost brought the two stars back together.
When the Brooklyn Nets put Irving on the trade block last season, the Lakers “were one of several teams to aggressively pursue Irving leading up to the trade deadline…,” per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “The Lakers’ offer centered on Russell Westbrook and two future first-round picks in 2027 and 2029.”
If the Lakers traded the disgruntled Russell Westbrook and two first-round picks for Irving, the benison that the Mavs received would’ve gone to them. All L.A. has been missing is a guard who can score efficiently and at a high rate. Westbrook was unable to fit in their Big 3 model because he couldn’t shoot 3s. D’Angelo Russell was too streaky and shriveled in the moments where Irving shines.
Nonetheless, whether the Nets didn’t want to send Irving somewhere he wanted to go or they just really believed in Spencer Dinwiddie, they obviously turned down L.A.’s offer.
One Problem For Another
Notably, Dinwiddie was traded after 74 games in Brooklyn. The Nets sent him to the Toronto Raptors in a deal for Dennis Schroder. Interestingly, Schroder played for the Lakers last season, and Dinwiddie signed with them after being waived by the Raptors.
Schroder played well after arriving in Brooklyn, averaging 14.6 points and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 41.2 percent from 3. He’s also under contract through next season. With that being said, his talent level is a couple of notches below Irving. Thus, the tradeoff didn’t really workout for the Nets in the end.
They got rid of one headache by moving Irving. His attitude had tainted the team’s image and his life choices limited his availability. Kevin Durant and James Harden could’ve chosen to weather the storm, but Irving’s rigidity made it difficult.
Still, they just traded one problem for others. Dinwiddie was disgruntled with his role, and expressed it openly. Schroder was acquired to replace Ben Simmons as much as Dinwiddie. Simmons was the headliner in the Harden trade, but his poor health has made him frustrating to build around.
