One small caveat: It was 5½ years ago, and it was only to play alongside Jimmy Butler.
In 2017, a month before Irving told the Cavaliers he was looking to get out of Cleveland, the Sun-Times reported Butler and Irving were trying to team up in an effort to bring Irving to the Bulls. The two had become close friends during their time with Team USA and wanted that to continue in the NBA.
Butler told then-general manager Gar Forman and vice president of basketball operations John Paxson that Irving wanted to make the move. He even offered a backup option that would have brought in the Raptors’ Kyle Lowry if the Bulls couldn’t pull off a trade for Irving.