“The Brooklyn Nets are fed up with Kyrie’s bull jive, I think they tolerated Kyrie in order to appease Kevin Durant” - NBA analyst says the Brooklyn Nets and the LA Lakers want to trade a ‘problem for a problem’
The Brooklyn Nets and the LA Lakers have major headaches with their roster construction. The Nets must deal with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving while the Lakers look to move on from Russell Westbrook.
On Fox Sports' "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," Shannon Sharpe said that the Nets and the Lakers are trying to trade their problem causers. Sharpe said the Nets could trade Irving because Durant has requested a trade.
"I think the Brooklyn Nets are fed up with Kyrie's jive. I think they tolerated Kyrie in order to appease Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant was the centerpiece, he was the end all be all.
"I think both teams, it's a problem for a problem. The Lakers absolutely want to get out from this Russ contract. Both of them are on a expiring contracts. It's a problem for a problem," Shannon Sharpe said.
The reported reason the Nets haven't cut ties with Irving was his close relationship with Durant. The Lakers, meanwhile, are struggling to move Westbrook's contract after a disappointing first season with the franchise.
.@ShannonSharpe on the chances Kyrie Irving is traded to the Lakers:
"I'm 50/50, lukewarm at best. The Nets are fed up with Kyrie and tolerated him to appease KD...Both teams want to get out of these expiring contracts." https://t.co/yLp0bvkrec
Should the Brooklyn Nets and the LA Lakers do this deal?
Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving's contracts aren't ideal for either team. Westbrook has exercised his $47 million player option, returning for one more season. Meanwhile, Kyrie has one more year left on his deal with the Brooklyn Nets.
The salaries don't match for a straight Irving for Westbrook swap. The Nets would need to include another player to make this deal work. Since both players have only one season remaining on their contracts, each team could move on if things don't work out in the upcoming season.
Russell Westbrook's reliability and availability will not be a question for the Nets. While it remains to be seen how Westbrook would fit in with Ben Simmons, the franchise would at least have an available point guard.
Irving, on the other hand, would once again team up with LeBron James. The duo won a championship together with the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, things did not end well for Irving and James, just like Westbrook and Durant's relationship.
While Westbrook and Irving are All-Star caliber players, they each come with baggage. The LA Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets should be wary of this before making a swap.