“This was the one way you could say that the Lakers are a championship-level team, it didn’t happen” - NBA analyst says Kyrie Irving was a ‘get out of jail free card’ for the LA Lakers, believes they are stuck now
The LA Lakers were hoping to acquire Kyrie Irving this summer amid contract disputes between Irving and the Brooklyn Nets. However, the guard has picked up his player-option for next season, which will likely erase the possibility of the Lakers acquiring Irving.
On ESPN's morning show Get Up, NBA analyst Tim Bontemps spoke about the Lakers' hopes of landing Irving. With that possibility gone, Bontemps believes that the Lakers have a long way to go before becoming a championship contender again. Bontemps said:
"This was the Lakers get out of jail free card. They were in an untenable situation and this was the one way they could get a player that could get them into championship contention. There are six teams that clearly better than the Lakers."
"You could say, Anthony Davis is back to what he was before, LeBron James is healthy, they nail some of these minimum signings, that gets them somewhere in contention. This was the one way you could say that the Lakers are a championship-level team, it didn’t happen" Botemps continued.
The Lakers were hoping that LeBron's relationship with Irving would convince the guard to sign with them this summer. However, Irving chose to stay put with Kevin Durant and the Nets.
Could the LA Lakers have made it work with Kyrie Irving?
Irving's potential signing looked bleak from the start for the LA Lakers. There was, however, a chance that the Nets guard could walk away from Brooklyn and sign with another team this summer. The Lakers have been linked to pursuing Irving due to his relationship with James.
The Lakers allowed 82 points in the 1st half, their 2nd-most allowed in a 1st half in franchise history. The Celtics scored 83 points in the 1st half vs the Lakers on Feb. 27, 1959.
It is also the most points allowed in a 1st half by the Lakers since the franchise moved to LA. https://t.co/reWdYOCUOg
The LA Lakers could have signed Irving if the guard agreed to a sign-and-trade with the Nets. The Lakers can then offer Russell Westbrook in return for Irving. Westbrook will team up with Durant once again if this comes to fruition. However, there was never any indication that the Nets would entertain this trade.
Had the LA Lakers managed to bag Irving this summer, they would have had the newest big three in the league with Irving, James and Davis. All three are incredible offensive players but the first two have their defensive deficiencies.
Kyrie Irving in his 3 season with the Nets:
27.1 PPG
4.7 RPG
6.0 APG
1.4 SPG
49.0 FG%
40.6 3P%
92.0 FT%
6 playoff wins
Time to reunite with LeBron? https://t.co/yHNec2Vk6U
The LA Lakers could potentially be the team to beat next season. But the chances of acquiring Irving are now slim to none.