NBA Rumors: Joe Tsai held a “presumed objective” to not trade Kyrie Irving to LA Lakers
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is surprisingly getting traded to the Dallas Mavericks instead of the LA Lakers, his preferred landing spot. The Lakers were considered the frontrunners, but the two teams couldn't agree on a deal.
NBA insider Marc Stein shed more light on the Lakers' failed pursuit. He reported that Nets owner Joe Tsai had a "presumed objective" of not letting Irving join the team he wanted, in this case, the Lakers.
Assessing why Joe Tsai blocked Kyrie Irving's trade to LA Lakers
Irving's tenure didn't turn out as planned in Brooklyn. His lack of availability is said to be the reason behind the team's unsuccessful run in the KD-Kyrie era. The 8x All-Star dealt with injury issues in his first two seasons. Since the 2021-22 season, Irving has been involved in multiple controversies off the court.
The former NBA champion's decision not to get vaccinated for Covid-19 got him briefly suspended in 2021-22. Irving wasn't allowed to play home games upon his return due to New York City mandates, which got lifted later.
Reports suggest that drove James Harden out of Brooklyn, which could be considered the tipping point of the franchise's misery under the KD-Kyrie era. The Nets went from contenders to a play-in team. Irving's absence played a role from an on-and-off-the-court perspective.
The locker room was affected by the off-court drama that stemmed from Kyrie Irving's unvaccinated stance. The team could never recover from it and succumbed to a 0-4 first-round loss against the Celtics in the playoffs.
Entering the 2022-23 NBA season, Kevin Durant asked for a trade and later rescinded it. Irving remained committed to the franchise, regardless of Durant's uncertain future and the Nets not offering him a max contract and indirectly forcing him to pick up his $36 million player option.
A few games into the 2022-23 NBA season, Irving got suspended again. This time, it was because of an antisemitic film that he promoted online and defended his decision. After returning, Irving played the best basketball of his life. The Nets turned their season around and looked like legitimate contenders.
Irving was available and seemed committed, but only until contract negotiations fell apart for the impending free agent with the Nets. Brooklyn's pursuit of a championship took another hit with Irving at the center of it, which may have driven Joe Tsai's decision to let the point guard secure a trade he wanted.
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Kyrie wanted to be a Laker. The Nets had other plans... 👀 🟣🟡
#NBA #KyrieIrving #Lakers #LakeShow https://t.co/dHUFeGYYW1
Click here to read Marc Stein's report on Joe Tsai blocking Kyrie Irving's trade to LA Lakers.
What did LA Lakers offer for Kyrie Irving?
The LA Lakers were among the teams interested in trading for Kyrie Irving last offseason. As reports of his trade request emerged, LA was in the hunt for his signature again. The Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and LA Clippers rivaled them for the 8x All-Star's services.
However, LA fell short with their package compared to all the other teams. The Lakers were open to trading their unprotected first-round picks (2027 and 2029) with Russell Westbrook. However, the Nets wanted a lot more than that. According to Shams Charania, Brooklyn asked for prospects like Austin Reaves and multiple pick swaps on top of the two first-round picks and Westbrook.
As Shams lays out in here, and I reported on Friday, the Lakers were offering Russell Westbrook and their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks to the Nets. But Brooklyn wanted more — including both Austin Reaves and Max Christie — and the Lakers weren’t interested in that. twitter.com/shamscharania/…
The LA Lakers were not interested in that trade. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets were adamant about securing pieces that would continue to help them compete with Kevin Durant as their key player. Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith were the better options, as the former fills in the point guard position left vacant by Irving, and the latter would add to their 3-and-D depth.