It's no secret Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving are interested in a reunion, and the two could link up sooner rather than later with the NBA's Feb. 9 trade deadline coming up.

James is "an immense proponent of making a deal for his former Cavaliers teammate and the Lakers are operating as a motivated suitor for Irving," according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Irving reportedly requested a trade from the Nets on Friday after the two sides failed to come to an agreement on a new deal.

While Irving and James are possibly hoping for a reunion, the Nets will also likely take the best offer they receive for the veteran point guard, whether that be from the Lakers or someone else.

Irving opted in to the final year of his contract with the Nets during the offseason. If they don't trade him, they'll risk losing him for nothing in free agency this summer.

The Lakers have been linked to Irving since before the 2022-23 season, with The Athletic's Jovan Buha reporting in August that the eight-time All-Star had L.A. as his top destination if moved.

Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times also reported Friday that he expected the Purple and Gold to have "serious discussions" with the Nets on a deal for Irving.

It's no surprise James and Irving would like to link up. The two were a dominant duo for the Cavaliers from 2014-2017, leading the franchise to an NBA title in 2016 with a dominant postseason run that included sweeps of the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks before an eventual win over the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals and a victory over the Golden State Warriors for the title.

Adding Irving would be a significant upgrade for the Lakers. Dennis Schröder is currently the team's starting point guard and while he's not bad, he's not the same elite caliber player as Irving.

Additionally, Russell Westbrook, who has been serving as the team's sixth-man, hasn't lived up to expectations in L.A., which is why he was demoted to a bench role. Westbrook would almost certainly be going to the Nets in any deal involving Irving.

Irving, 30, is averaging 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 40 games this season while shooting 48.6 percent from the floor and 37.4 percent from deep. He'd be a great complement to James and Anthony Davis.

The Lakers sit 12th in the Western Conference with a 25-29 record following a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night. The team continues to keep itself in playoff contention.

If the Purple and Gold manage to add Irving before the deadline, no Western Conference team is going to want to see the trio of James, Irving and Davis in the first round of the playoffs.