Will the Los Angeles Lakers go all-in for a Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving trade?
The Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams interested in trading for both Brooklyn Nets superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
It would be very difficult for the 17-time NBA champions to land both superstars. Such a move would certainly change the landscape of the league.
Rumors about the Lakers' intention to create a package for Durant and Irving were first reported by Brian Windhorst of ESPN earlier this week.
Windhorst cited league executives as his source. He pointed out that it was too early to make any predictions on what move the Los Angeles Lakers would do next.
LA could send Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook to Brooklyn for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. AD and Russ are set to earn a combined $85M next season, while the number for Durant and Irving is $80M.
That could be a starting point for the Los Angeles Lakers, yet the Nets would certainly ask for more. After all, Brooklyn wants to make this deal 'one of the biggest trade returns in league history', according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
.@wojespn with the latest on Kevin Durant's trade request:
"[The Nets] think this should look like one of the biggest trade returns in league history." https://t.co/9H69Jk8FMM
The Nets' trade demands include an All-Star player, a Rising Star and multiple first-round picks and pick swaps. Even if they land both Davis and Westbrook, they would certainly ask for draft picks.
In that case, the Los Angeles Lakers would need a third or fourth team to get involved and facilitate the deal. Such teams could be the Houston Rockets or the San Antonio Spurs.
"A team like the Spurs could be a facilitator in a Westbrook/Kyrie deal," Wojnarowski added, via Josh Paredes of FanSided. "You’d have to incentivize them at a pretty high level.
That unwillingness of the Lakers to incentivize w/ multiple picks is still part of the reason that hasn’t gone anywhere yet. That could change."
Woj: "A team like the Spurs could be a facilitator in a Westbrook/Kyrie deal. You'd have to incentivize them at a pretty high level. That unwillingness of the Lakers to incentivize w/ multiple picks is still part of the reason that hasn't gone anywhere yet. That could change." https://t.co/Q4KnENuRrt
In this quote, the NBA Insider focuses on an Irving/Westbrook deal. It is likely to happen since the two teams are already in talks, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
However, Kevin Durant could also be included in the package, especially if he wants to continue playing alongside Irving.
We should also take into account that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James wants to reunite with Kyrie Irving and is also friends with Kevin Durant.
Brooklyn Nets maintain discussions have only been preliminary at this point, sources say. twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/s…
An Irving/Westbrook trade is more likely to take place for the Los Angeles Lakers at the moment
As we said in the beginning, it will be very difficult for the Lakers to trade for both superstars, given the Nets' trade demands.
But if they were able to create a package that would let them reach an agreement with Brooklyn, then this would be too much of an opportunity to pass.
Overall, when it comes to such blockbuster trades, all options are on the table, so we shouldn't rule anything out.
At the moment an Irving/Westbrook trade is more likely to take place. While the Los Angeles Lakers have not revealed the status of Anthony Davis and whether they would make him available for a trade.
Both Irving and Westbrook are on expiring contracts, while Kevin Durant has four years and $194.2M left on his contract.
Anthony Davis has three years and $121,8M left on the contract he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in December 2020.