LA Lakers Rumors Roundup: Kyrie Irving and LeBron James might still reunite, potential Russell Westbrook deal with Houston Rockets is officially dead, and more - June 28th, 2022
The LA Lakers are still looking for options this offseason after several trade rumors didn't pan out the way they wanted.
Their offers have been rejected by several teams around the NBA and fans on social media are mocking Laker Nation for their current state of affairs. It looks like they are going to run it back next season with the same squad, which could stop them from enjoying any significant success.
Even at age 37, LeBron James is still playing at an MVP level and they cannot afford to waste another year of his prime. The Lakers will hope that Anthony Davis can remain healthy next season and play over 60 games.
Let's dive into some of the rumors around the Lakers in the last 24 hours:
Malik Monk ready to accept a pay cut to stay with the LA Lakers
Malik Monk was arguably the second-most consistent and reliable player in the LA Lakers after LeBron James last season.
Retaining the 24-year-old will be one of the biggest priorities for the front office this summer as he fits perfectly with James' style of play. Monk doesn't have a high usage rate and is great in off-ball reads when James is the playmaker, such as spotting up for threes or cutting to the rim.
He has likely earned himself a big payday and several teams will be looking to sign him this summer. Many Laker fans and analysts have accepted that he might not return to the Purple and Gold as they cannot afford to pay him a hefty amount.
However, Monk recently stated that he is willing to accept less money and stay with the LA Lakers, who missed the play-in tournament last season. He said in an interview with The Athletic's Jovan Buha:
"They might not be able to pay me as much as I want. But I could be here and be way more comfortable as a Laker than going to any other team and they're paying me $5 million more. So it's just me trying to figure out what team would really want me."
Austin Reaves has been talking through offseason options with Malik Monk.
The end result is always the same: Reaves advising him to stay.
Exclusive with @jovanbuha: theathletic.com/3384708/?sourc… https://t.co/rRz8xxaAeM
Lakers' chances of sending Russell Westbrook back to Houston are dead
The LA Lakers were trying to send Russell Westbrook back to the Houston Rockets for a deal involving John Wall.
They were intrigued to find packages for any decent point guard who could replace Westbrook, and Wall was one of them. The Houston Rockets would essentially swap the two point guards like they did back in 2020 with the Washington Wizards.
However, Wall has since agreed to a buyout with the Rockets and signed with the LA Clippers as a free agent. This means any scenario involving Westbrook ending up with the Rockets is essentially dead.
According to Lakers Nation's Trevor Lane, the Lakers are now likely to have the former OKC Thunder star on their roster at the beginning of next season.
Lakers deal with the Rockets for Westbrook is now officially dead, looks like the music may stop with LA still holding Russ.
Kyrie Irving and LeBron James reunion is not off the table
Kyrie Irving agreed to opt into his player option for his final year with the Brooklyn Nets, essentially killing any rumors of him joining a different team.
Fans of the LA Lakers were heavily invested in the idea of Irving joining the Purple and Gold and re-igniting his dynamic partnership with LeBron James. If that was to happen, Irving would have had to unprecedentedly give up $30 million to sign with the Lakers. LA only has a $6 million mid level exception in contrast to the Nets' $36.7 million player option.
Irving opted in and the reality is that he might run it back in Brooklyn with KD next season. However, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, a sign-and-trade or Irving joining the Lakers is not entirely dismissed. He reported:
"I know that there are people in the league, and we’re not talking about ancillary people, we’re talking about high-ranking people, who believe that this is not done."
"High-ranking people" believe Kyrie to the Lakers is not off the table after heavy mutual interest, per @WindhorstESPN https://t.co/KjsZhChBFY
The LA Lakers could potentially involve a third team to re-ignite their interest in Irving, but there are doubts over such a deal coming to fruition.