The Los Angeles Lakers offseason has been pretty quiet thus far. They have signed four players, using part of their mid-level exception in NBA free agency to bring in Lonnie Walker IV and Damian Jones before signing Troy Brown Jr. and Juan Toscano-Anderson to veteran’s minimum deals.
The Lakers did suffer one sizable loss, as Malk Monk signed a two-year deal with the Sacramento Kings. With him no longer around, all four players that Los Angeles signed could factor into the rotation this upcoming season. For some people, that quartet is better than what they thought the Lakers would be able to sign.
While that is a good start to free agency for the purple and gold, do they have a bigger move up their sleeve? They have been involved in plenty of trade rumors, as they look to reshape their roster and hit the reset button on the Russell Westbrook trade from last offseason.
One potential target that has been mentioned is Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets. The framework of swapping the two point guards, with Joe Harris also heading to Los Angeles has been discussed. The Lakers would add some draft picks to the deal, but they do not want Harris; they are pushing to acquire Seth Curry instead.
LATEST NBA FREE AGENCY NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: 2 Trade Targets Emerge As Los Angeles Lakers’ Top Kyrie Irving Backup Plans
While they are engaged in negotiations, there will be some pressure on the Lakers to get a deal done. LeBron James is pushing for it and after how disastrous the 2021-22 campaign was, the organization should be aggressively pursuing a deal.
Marc Stein shared the update about James wanting to team up with Irving again on his Substack.
“James, I’m told, wants to see Irving in Lakerland more than anyone. What other team, furthermore, has a LeBron-sized personality with the experience to cope with all the chaos that comes with adding Kyrie? James, remember, has often thrived in chaos.”
James and Irving won a championship together in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Irving pushed for a trade shortly after that, which is something that he has regretted was shortsighted and a mistake to do.
LATEST NBA FREE AGENCY NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: 2 Trade Targets Emerge As Los Angeles Lakers’ Top Kyrie Irving Backup Plans
Irving has proven a difficult teammate to work with, but his experiences the last few years away from James are hopefully something that he learned from. Had they remained teammates, they very likely could have experienced more championship success together.
LeBron James has won another title, taking one home alongside Anthony Davis on the Lakers in the Orlando Bubble in 2020. Kyrie Irving hasn’t come close to that level of success with the Boston Celtics or Nets and would be hoping to rekindle the magic the two experienced with the Cavaliers.
