Just one season after his controversial trade to the Mavericks, Kyrie Irving has transformed the squad into the best in the Western Conference. The Lakers were largely believed to be the frontrunners to sign Kyrie, but a number of issues prevented them from making a deal. On his podcast, Jovan Buha repeated the three major factors that prevented the Lakers from signing Kyrie in 2023, beginning with the Lakers’ refusal to offer him a four-year contract.
“The Lakers wanted to sign him to a two-year contract extension, but Kyrie preferred to opt out and become a free agent.” and demand a four-year contract. The Lakers were skeptical and wanted a two-year, $80 million deal. The fact that Kyrie refused to sign that extension made LA wary of getting him, as did the risk of him leaving if things didn’t work out.”
Another stumbling block for the Lakers was the inclusion of Austin Reaves and Max Christie, especially because Kyrie refused to sign a two-year contract and is testing free agency.
“They didn’t want to include Austin Reaves and Max Christie if Kyrie didn’t agree to sign the agreement. If he had agreed to sign the extension, I believe they would have been willing to part with one of the two. But they didn’t want to give up what they saw as their two best young assets at the time for a player who might depart in the summer.”
Finally, Buha stated that the Nets intended to remain competitive following the deal, but those expectations were dashed when Kevin Durant demanded a move.
“The Nets did not want to give up any more role players in the transaction because they wanted to stay competitive around Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant quickly demanded a trade, and the rest is history.
The Lakers will regret this trade blunder considering what the Mavericks accomplished, but the conditions for both teams were different. The Mavericks were building around a young star, Luka Doncic, who campaigned for Kyrie to join the organization, and Dallas couldn’t risk upsetting him with his contract expiring in a few seasons.
LeBron James also advocated for the Lakers to acquire Kyrie, but the Mavericks’ asking price was not equal to what the Nets wanted the Lakers to give up.
Furthermore, the Mavericks were willing to take the risk of Kyrie testing free agency because they believed they had the best chance of convincing him to stay. The player and organization agreed on a three-year contract instead of the four Kyrie had initially requested, with the return on that contract already looking fantastic.
Irving averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists during the regular season. He’s currently averaging 22.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in the 2024 playoffs, with the Mavericks one win away from the NBA Finals.
Did the Lakers make a mistake in not acquiring Kyrie?
Last summer, after failing to make the playoffs with Kyrie, the Lakers had plenty of trade packages to give him to the Nets or the Mavericks. There were even rumors and proposed deals during the season, when the Mavericks appeared to be a Play-In team.
The Nets were always going to be more difficult to bargain with because team owner Joe Tsai was fiercely opposed to Irving signing with the Lakers, which everyone knew he favored. As a result, the Lakers were fighting a losing battle to acquire Kyrie at a reasonable price.
If they ended up trading their remaining first-round picks for either Reaves or Christie, there’s no guarantee they’d match the Mavericks’ success. Given what happened to Darvin Ham, it’s difficult to envision Irving remaining a silent observer.
In Dallas, he has a personal relationship with a coach and executive he has known for years, Jason Kidd and Nico Harrison, who make him feel comfortable with the club. The Lakers’ internal volatility would have been difficult for Kyrie to deal with, especially because the Mavs have created an environment for him in which all he has to do is focus on basketball.
The Mavericks were likewise not immediately successful with Irving, missing the playoffs last season and lingering around the eighth seed in February 2024. Fortunately, they had more assets to purchase players such as Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington, making them legitimate competitors. If the Lakers had gotten Kyrie, they would not have had the same assets to bolster their depth as Dallas had.
Finally, the Lakers are in an ideal situation to sign a younger star-level player in an organization that does not have active animosity toward you. If they can make something happen this summer, Kyrie’s absence will be much more acceptable.
