Windhorst: 'I Do Think' LeBron James Still Has Interest in Playing with Kyrie Irving

Even though the reunion between LeBron James and Kyrie Irving didn't happen this summer, the 19-time All-Star isn't totally over the idea of once again teaming up with his former Cleveland Cavaliers running mate.

On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast (starts at 8:40 mark), ESPN's Brian Windhorst said he thinks James maintains interest in playing with Irving:

"I will say this. I do think LeBron has an interest in playing with Kyrie Irving again. I think he likes the idea of playing with Kyrie, the concept of playing with Kyrie and Anthony Davis. I have long said the best big-man pairing that LeBron's ever had, as far as pure fit, is Anthony Davis. I believe the best guard pairing LeBron's ever had is Kyrie Irving."

There were countless rumors throughout the 2022-23 season and leading up to the start of free agency that Irving might try to navigate his way to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Soon after the Brooklyn Nets agreed to trade Irving to the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 5, B/R's Chris Haynes reported the Lakers were also a "serious" suitor and proposed an offer that included their 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium added the Lakers would have included Russell Westbrook's expiring contract, but it was not considered a "suitable deal" for the Nets.

Irving took a different approach in trying to reunite with James before free agency opened. Charania reported on June 5 that Irving reached out to the four-time NBA MVP about potentially joining him in Dallas.

While that approach, failed, Irving opted to return to the Mavericks in free agency on a three-year, $126 million deal.

At this stage of James' career, it's hard to see a scenario in which he plays with Irving again. Irving is always a wild card who is probably never going to be settled with a single team for any length of time, but the Mavs desperately need him to be at his best as they try to build a quality roster around Luka Dončić.

It's unclear how much longer James is going to play. He confirmed at the ESPYS on Wednesday he will be back for a 21st season after talking about retirement following the Lakers' loss in the Western Conference Finals.

James has one more guaranteed season on his contract with a $51.4 million player option for 2024-25. He's still playing at a high level after averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game in 55 appearances last season.

Irving and James spent three seasons together as teammates in Cleveland from 2014-15 to 2016-17. They made the NBA Finals in each of those three years, winning a title during the 2015-16 campaign.