LeBron posts cryptic tweet after Kyrie trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
There will be no reunion between LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
Not this season as teammates in Los Angeles, at least. Irving is headed West, but to Dallas, where he'll join the Mavericks after reportedly being acquired in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
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James appeared to react to the trade hours after it was announced with a tweet saying, "Maybe It's Me."
What does it mean exactly? That's for James to know and for his followers to decode.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets were seeking a three-team trade with the Lakers before reaching a deal with the Mavericks, who offered better players to complement Kevin Durant.
One proposed deal involving Los Angeles and Phoenix had the Nets receiving first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 from the Lakers and Chris Paul, Jae Crowder and picks from the Suns, per Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT.
Meanwhile, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that the Lakers offered a package including Russell Westbrook and two first-round picks (2027 and 2029). The Nets responded by demanding the Lakers' young core including Austin Reaves, Max Christie and an undisclosed number of pick swaps.
Nets owner Joe Tsai, however, opposed sending Irving to the Lakers, per Marc Stein of the New York Times.
Irving, who was in the final year of his contract after what had been a tumultuous four years in Brooklyn, requested a trade on Friday. Shortly after, James tweeted the eyes and crown emojis...
James was then asked by reporters on Saturday whether Irving was the type of player who could help the 25-29 Lakers "get to the finish line." James initially said that was a question for Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka.
"Obviously, that’s a -- what’s the word you use? -- ‘duh’ question when you talk about a player like that,” James then added.
James and Irving were teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2017, winning a title in 2016. Irving requested a trade from Cleveland after the 2016-2017 season and was dealt to the Boston Celtics, where he spent two seasons before he and Durant signed as free agents with the Nets. Expected to be the league's next super team, the Nets won just one playoff series during Irving's tenure as his absences and controversies contributed to the team's disappointing seasons.
With the Lakers' current "super team" of James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook also underachieving, a trade between the two seemed likely. Until Sunday.
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The Lakers now have four days until the trade deadline to improve their roster.
