LeBron James, Once Again, Makes Kyrie Irving Trade All About Himself
The Drama King is back.
Lakers forward LeBron James didn't get his way in the Kyrie Irving sweepstakes, losing out to the Dallas Mavericks after the Nets agreed to ship the All-Star guard to the Lone Star State on Sunday.
Now that James is left with a hobbling All-Star in Anthony Davis, an overpaid Russell Westbrook and a cast of C-level talent (stuck in the Western Conference's 13th seed), the aging star is going on a media tour to tell the world how hurt he was left over not having Kyrie on the Lakers.
Considering Irving got to join a postseason contender, the move appears to have ultimately worked out in his favor, but don't tell LeBron that.
Speaking with ESPN's Mike Wilbon on Monday, James said he was left "disappointed" by the Irving trade decision and later tweeted out "Maybe It's Me" to really put his sorrows out there for the world to see.
"I can’t sit here and say I’m not disappointed on not being able to land such a talent," James said, forgetting that his sway of the front office's decision these last few years sunk the team's trading capital to new lows.
Coming into the Irving sweepstakes, the Lakers' main assets were two first-round picks — one in 2027 and one in 2029.
Since Brooklyn wanted a "win-now" package, they opted for Dallas' offers, which involved multiple high draft picks, trending guard Spencer Dinwiddie and proficient wing defender Dorian Finney-Smith.
All the years of playing LeGM finally caught up to James, but the more sinister actor in this trade might have been Nets owner Joe Tsai.
Reports following Dallas' trade with Brooklyn detailed that Tsai had such a sour relationship with Irving that he allegedly shipped Kyrie off to his least-desired trade destination to spite the player.
While there's little corroborating evidence to prove it, Tsai's history of doing Kyrie dirty makes it believable.