The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to the Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving ever since the initial rumors surfaced that the mercurial point guard and the team were having disputes over his possible contract extension. It remains a key focus point in NBA trade rumors. Brooklyn’s refusal to commit to Irving long-term led him to pursue his options elsewhere.

After expressing the desire for a sign-and-trade deal that would land him a multi-year contract, Kai had to change directions when it became obvious that his market was much smaller than originally anticipated.

At one point in time, he even considered declining his $36 million player option for next season and signing with the Lakers outright for the mid-level exception, a move that would have resulted in an approximate $30 million pay cut. In the end, though, Irving did what most of his constituents would have done and ended up taking the guaranteed money, opting into the final year of his deal with the Nets.

Of course, the Lakers can still trade for him and reunite him with LeBron James, and they reportedly are still trying to do so. While trade talks haven’t seemed to advance anywhere significant, the Lakers need to take this moment of pause to discern whether or not acquiring Kyrie Irving would even solve their issues.

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There’s no doubt that Kyrie Irving and LeBron James made for a dynamic duo in their first team-up, bringing a championship to Ohio together with the Cleveland Cavaliers. That doesn’t automatically mean that they’ll be able to replicate that success with the Lakers, though. The DNA of those teams will be completely different from one another, changing the dynamic for how the Irving-James tandem can operate if they were to pair up once again.

For one, instead of a roster that includes Kevin Love — a soft-shooting big man who sacrificed his offensive touches and committed to defense to turn himself into an ideal third wheel — and several veteran role players still in the twilight of their primes, James and Irving will need to incorporate Anthony Davis into their two-man game, as well as learn to play with a young group of athletes with the Lakers.

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Irving was a perfect star pairing for LeBron James because his ability to score on the ball took the pressure off him to create offense for his team constantly. James already has that offensive presence in Anthony Davis. What they really need around them is more shooting and defense, complementary play to take defensive attention off of the Lakers’ star tandem, and generate enough stops along the way to grab wins.

While Kyrie Irving would obviously bring more talent to the roster and subsequently raise both the team’s ceiling and floor, he wouldn’t solve any of the Los Angeles Lakers’ biggest issues.