The Los Angeles Lakers have been at the center of plenty of trade rumors this NBA offseason. Most recently, they have set their sights on Brooklyn Nets point guard, Kyrie Irving. Irving opted in to his contract for the 2022-23 season but is available to be acquired after Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Nets.
While it was generally assumed a deal centered around Durant would get done before the Nets worked on any other deals, that may not actually be the case. If a team such as the San Antonio Spurs is willing to get involved and help facilitate a trade that involves Irving, the Nets could complete that one first.
There are still plenty of hurdles to get over in this hypothetical three-team deal. The Spurs will want to be compensated with draft capital as they are entering a rebuild. What would be heading to Brooklyn in this deal if Russell Westbrook is heading to San Antonio and Irving is on the way to the Lakers?
While Irving’s negotiations are going to garner all of the headlines and a lot of focus from Los Angeles, he isn’t the only player that they have an interest in.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Lakers, Nets Unlikely To Make Kyrie Irving Trade Without Third Team
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers are showing interest in Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets and Buddy Hield of the Indiana Pacers.
“Then, there’s the Lakers’ motivation. They’ve looked at other deals. They continued, I know, to check in on Eric Gordon in Houston. That’s certainly a player that interests them. Buddy Hield in Indiana … the Lakers certainly are looking out at the marketplace but there’s no question Kyrie Irving is one of them.”
Gordon and Hield are both logical targets for the Lakers whether they trade away Westbrook or not. The team needs more 3-point shooters and both Gordon and Hield excel at firing away from long distance.
After trading away Christian Wood earlier in the offseason, the Rockets could be more inclined to now move Gordon. Hield is someone that the Lakers were close to acquiring last offseason before pivoting to the deal to land Westbrook from the Washington Wizards.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Lakers, Nets Unlikely To Make Kyrie Irving Trade Without Third Team
It would likely require at least one first-round pick to acquire either Eric Gordon or Buddy Hield, which is likely why the Los Angeles Lakers are waiting out the Irving situation. To move Russell Westbrook, it will take at least one, if not two, first-round picks, so using one in another deal would more than likely take them out of the running for Kyrie Irving.
