It was revealed that Irving was eager to join forces with James before renewing his contract: Destination Los Angeles or Dallas The Lakers also want to get him

On January 18, Beijing time, the Lakers played against the Mavericks, and James and his former teammate Irving met again. ESPN's Shelburne reported that Irving had a "strong interest" in reuniting with James last offseason.

Irving, who won a championship with James with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015-16, became a free agent last offseason. However, he failed to reunite with James and eventually signed a contract extension with the Mavericks.

"Irving lived in Los Angeles in the offseason and his schedule wasn't full after the Dallas Mavericks failed to make the playoffs," Shelburne wrote, "but he's also on the verge of becoming a free agent, and according to sources close to him, Irving has a strong interest in reuniting with James in Los Angeles or Dallas." Sources revealed that Irving was there (in Los Angeles) precisely to deliver such a message. "

The Mavericks acquired Irving through a trade before the trade deadline last season, but the team didn't see the desired results with the combination of Irving and Luka Doncic, and the team failed to make the playoffs.

Despite this, the Mavericks were interested in signing Irving back, and the Lakers didn't end up bringing in the star point guard. However, according to Shelburne, the Lakers have been interested in bringing in Irving for some time.

"For nearly a year, there has been a discussion within the Lakers about whether to pursue Irving through a trade or free agency," Shelburne wrote, sources said. "They have called the Nets several times since June 2022 to express interest in trading Irving, when Irving and the Nets failed to reach an agreement on a long-term contract extension. "

James and Irving have had great success together with the Cavaliers, but they probably won't play together in the NBA again. Irving signed a three-year contract with the Mavericks (with a player option for the third season), while James has the option to jump out of his contract with the Lakers after the 2023-24 season. However, the Mavericks may have a hard time bringing in James, even if he wants to, as the team already pays high salaries for Irving and Luka Doncic.

This season, the Mavericks have had a lot of success with Irving and Doncic, currently sitting in 5th place in the West with 24 wins and 17 losses. The Lakers, on the other hand, currently have a 20-21 record and are in 10th place in the West.