Kyrie Irving reportedly wanted to go to the Los Angeles Lakers.
And Brooklyn Nets governor Joe Tsai didn't want to help make that happen.
According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, "one of the presumed objectives" for Tsai was to move Irving somewhere other than "his preferred destination" of the Purple and Gold. That is what ultimately happened, as they traded the eight-time All-Star to the Dallas Mavericks, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
That Irving apparently wanted to go to Los Angeles shouldn't come as much of a surprise.
Not only do the Lakers offer perhaps the biggest stage in the NBA, he also would have been reunited with former teammate LeBron James. Irving found the most team success of his career when he was on the Cleveland Cavaliers with the King, winning the NBA title in 2016 and reaching the NBA Finals in 2015.
