When it was announced that Kevin Durant had requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, NBA trade rumors began swirling that Kyrie Irving could be on the move as well. However, his market is nowhere near as robust as Durant’s.
There haven’t been many teams to emerge as potential suitors for the mercurial point guard, which isn’t too surprising. Given how his tenure with the Boston Celtics went and how things developed with the Nets, teams aren’t knocking down his door with offers.
One team who is seemingly all in on acquiring him is the Los Angeles Lakers. Los Angeles is looking to move on from their own point guard in Russell Westbrook and would love to add Irving to the mix.
Irving would be a much better fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis given his ability to play off the ball when needed. Westbrook needs a very specific environment to succeed and Los Angeles cannot provide that to him.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND RUMORS: 3 Trades To Send Brooklyn Nets Star Kyrie Irving To Los Angeles Lakers
If James and Davis had their way, Irving would be the new starting point guard for the purple and gold.
“The awkwardness was noted throughout NBA circles, with strong beliefs that the Lakers’ biggest stars have been pushing for the team to trade for Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving.”
The relationship between Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and the Lakers organization is something to keep an eye on as trade talks move along. Some of the quotes that Russell Westbrook provided at his exit interview give the appearance of a relationship that could be beyond repair.
“Still, the relationship between the Lakers and [Russell] Westbrook has looked severely strained this offseason,” Dan Woike and Broderick Turner wrote. “He attended the Lakers’ summer league opener in Las Vegas, but he and LeBron James, who was also there, didn’t speak — a stark contrast to their time together last summer.”
LATEST NBA NEWS AND RUMORS: 3 Trades To Send Brooklyn Nets Star Kyrie Irving To Los Angeles Lakers
Should Westbrook remain with the Lakers into training camp and the regular season, it certainly sounds like there is a lot of work to do when it comes to mending some fences. If the Lakers want any chance of succeeding during the upcoming season, they will need to get everyone on the same page and buy into the game plan.
Managing superstars is a hard enough job when they are getting along. If they don’t see eye-to-eye, it will be an even tougher task. Darvin Ham, a first-time head coach, will certainly have his hands full trying to make things work.
All of this becomes more interesting when considering the report surfacing about LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook each recently participating in a three-way phone call to get on the same page ahead of the 2022-23 season.
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