NBA Rumors: LA Lakers considered the most significant threat to land Kyrie Irving
The LA Lakers are a team with a lot of work on their hands this offseason, and they might luck into adding a new All-Star to the roster. Following news that Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets were at an impasse in contract discussions, LA emerged as a potential trade candidate.
On a recent addition of 'NBA Today,' ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowksi discussed the idea of the Lakers acquiring Irving this summer. If he were to jump to the Western Conference, he would be leaving a large sum of money on the table.
"The Lakers are considered the most significant threat right now for Kyrie Irving. But, that would essentially ential him taking 30 million dollars less than he can opt into in Brooklyn."
As we know, Kyrie Irving was extremely limited on the floor this past season due to his unwillingness to get vaccinated. In the 29 regular-season games he appeared in, he averaged 27.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists.
Kyrie and the Lakers👀 https://t.co/a0y0lPQHVr
Lakers seem like unlikely landing spot for Kyrie Irving
LA could greatly benefit from adding a player with Kyrie Irving's skillset, a deal of this magnitude seems unlikely for multiple reasons. The first being that LA has nothing of value to offer Brooklyn in a potential sign-and-trade.
To make the money work, LA would have to send one of Russell Westbrook or Anthony Davis to the Nets in any trade. Between Davis' questionable injury history and Westbrook's storied history with Kevin Durant, Brooklyn likely won't be eager to acquire either of these players.
Along with Durant and Westbrook, there would be another reunion in this potential mega-deal, that being Irving and LeBron James once again being teammates. After going to the Boston Celtics to get away from James' shadow, Irving should be in no rush to join the Lakers and be his running mate for a second time.
The final reason why this move seems doubtful is the relationship Kyrie Irving has with Kevin Durant. Given their connection off the court and the fact they signed with Brooklyn to be together, splitting up this duo might be off the table. Brooklyn could be forced to hand Irving a big payout simply to keep Durant happy moving forward.
"My gut tells me that Kyrie Irving will be in a Brooklyn Nets uniform to start next season."
—@jj_redick https://t.co/EsAGiZDuVX
There are teams out there with the capital to acquire Irving, but the Lakers are not one of them. While they should be exploring every avenue in hopes of re-tooling their roster, a deal like this seems to be a bit of a pipe dream.