Kyrie Irving didn’t play in the Drew League on Saturday, which disappointed some fans. But he had a damn good reason that Lakers supporters will love.
On Saturday, July 16, NBA fans were excited to hear that players like Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was set to participate in some Drew League action. Another star that was expected to play was Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, but that ultimately never happened.
While Irving was not partaking in the pro-am basketball event, he was helping out Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy at his camp.
Kyrie Irving did not participate in Drew League action
In the days leading up to the event, it was revealed that Irving would play in the July 16 game scheduled at 11:00 a.m. PT, per Drew League commissioner Dino Smiley. James took part in the 1:45 p.m. PT game.
Irving’s name has dominated NBA headlines pre-Kevin Durant’s trade request. In search of a new contract, the guard and Brooklyn Nets could not reach an agreement. Irving had a list of potential sign-and-trade destinations, but nothing came to pass. Ultimately, Irving opted into his contract for the 2022-23 season, which gives him a salary of $36.5 million for the year.
But once the Durant trade request came in, the possibility of Irving getting dealt reemerged. The Lakers have been linked to Irving heavily throughout the offseason, and a report from Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes indicated that they and the Nets discussed a trade involving Irving and Russell Westbrook.
Lakers fans are going to be following updates on Irving throughout the offseason to see if a trade will ultimately happen before the start of the season.