“I understand the power of LeBron James, he can turn water into Lobos … I just don’t believe it, because we saw it last year” - NBA analyst says a Kyrie Irving-LeBron James reunion doesn’t make the Lakers the favorites in the West
The situation with Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets is far from perfect. After all the drama this team has been through in the past year, Kevin Durant now wants to leave the team.
He has requested a trade and listed the Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat as his preferred destinations. However, the Nets will trade him to the team that offers the best package.
Irving's value, on the other hand, is much lower. Since he opted into the final year of his contract, the Nets will have to trade him as well.
The Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as potential suitors for the point guard, but Kevin Wildes doesn't think this is going to work out.
"But now, once he's reunited with LeBron, LeBron can smooth everything over. I just don't believe it because we saw it last year and it didn't work."
While a potential reunion with LeBron James sounds amazing, the Lakers may find themselves in another tough situation.
Kyrie Irving wouldn't have a successful reunion with LeBron James
Kevin Wildes said he understands the power of LeBron James, and that he's amazing. However, the situation with Kyrie Irving is unique and not even James could make it work.
The Lakers tried to make Russell Westbrook work, but that experiment didn't succeed. Last season, many NBA fans and analysts believed that Westbrook and James would be great together. This pairing, however, was a complete failure.
"I understand the power of LeBron — he can turn water into Lobos, I get it. We've seen this story before, granted Kyrie didn't work in Cleveland, Boston & Brooklyn but now once he's reunited with LeBron, LeBron can smooth everything over. I just don't buy it." — @kevinwildes https://t.co/hDHRKOKjoC
LeBron James and his Lakers won only 33 games last season. This was one of the lowest win totals of LeBron's career, even though he averaged more than 30 points per game.
Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets were also disappointing. They made the NBA playoffs but were swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics.
Irving's career in Brooklyn is coming to an end, and it is going to end as another unsuccessful story for the point guard. Things never worked out with Irving, and this is why Wildes doesn't think LeBron can make it work either.
I understand the power of LeBron — he can turn water into Lobos, I get it ... We've seen this story before, granted Kyrie didn't work in Cleveland, where he left LeBron alone. It didn't work in Boston, and didn't work in Brooklyn.
How can Kyrie Irving join the Lakers?
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports recently confirmed that the Lakers and the Nets are discussing a trade centered around Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook.
The Nets would acquire Westbrook and draft picks, while the Lakers would receive Irving and Joe Harris. The deal hasn't gone through. The Lakers would prefer Seth Curry over Harris, who is coming off ankle surgery.
The Lakers and the Nets are actively engaged in trade talks revolving around "a Russell Westbrook-Kyrie Irving package," per @ChrisBHaynes https://t.co/yKdFgpTh9Z
The teams are optimistic about the trade, but the Nets are not in a hurry and may wait longer to explore other trade packages for their guard.