The market for Kyrie Irving doesn’t look to be a strong one. During the NBA regular season, it was reported that teams didn’t have much interest in him and that seems to have carried over to the offseason as well.
Irving engaged in a game of chicken with the Brooklyn Nets as the deadline for options approached. There were reportedly six teams that were interested in him; the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers. No deal was made, the Nets called Irving’s bluff and he opted in to his contract for the 2022-23 season.
Alas, with Kevin Durant requesting a trade just a few days later, Irving once again could be on the move. It is no secret that he would like to land with the Lakers and team up with LeBron James again. That duo found success when playing together on the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning the NBA Finals in 2016.
The feeling seems mutual, as the Lakers are seemingly the only team willing to trade for Irving. However, there are some obstacles to overcome. According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, a trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets will be tough to pull off, meaning another team could have to get involved.
“The Lakers are the one team with an obvious desire to poach Irving from Brooklyn, but there is plenty of skepticism around the NBA that L.A. can acquire Irving in a direct two-team swap with the Nets. Brooklyn’s goal of contending already disqualifies a theoretical package of Russell Westbrook and two first-round picks from satisfying the Nets’ wishes for any Irving or Durant return.”
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: LeBron James Pushing Los Angeles Lakers To Make Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving Trade?
Russell Westbrook and Irving have been at the center of these trade talks thus far. Joe Harris or Seth Curry heading back to Los Angeles with Talen Horton-Tucker also being included and heading to Brooklyn has also been floated around.
While they have been hesitant to attach draft picks along with Westbrook, in any scenario in which the Lakers are receiving Irving, they should be more than willing to part with draft picks. Irving is a big upgrade fit-wise compared to Westbrook and playing alongside James could be what it takes for Irving to stay on track.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: LeBron James Pushing Los Angeles Lakers To Make Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving Trade?
Given how limited their resources are, expect Los Angeles to continue pushing for an Irving deal. If it means getting a third or even fourth team involved, they will try and get the job done. Coming out of this offseason with Irving as their starting point guard would be a huge win for the organization. Among the logical potential trade partners include the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers.
