Kyrie Irving shook up the NBA landscape when reports surfaced that he requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets.
Irving had expressed a desire for a max contract extension from the Nets, but it looks like the organization was not willing to commit long-term money to the All-Star. In response, Irving has reportedly asked to be moved before the annual trade deadline on Thursday and teams are already lining up to try and acquire him.
The Los Angeles Lakers are considered to be one of the most motivated teams to land Irving as they remain out of the Play-In Tournament. LeBron James figures to be a major proponent of a move to acquire Irving considering their history playing together on the Cleveland Cavaliers and he could pressure the front office into making a deal.
However, the Lakers aren’t the only Los Angeles team in on Irving as the L.A. Clippers have apparently entered the race, via Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
The LA Clippers have joined the pursuit of Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, sources told ESPN on Saturday.
The Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns — among others — have been engaging with the Nets since Irving’s trade demand on Friday, sources said. And now the Clippers — who’ve been in the trade market for a point guard — are probing a possible deal too, sources said.
The Clippers have been searching for a true point guard to play alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, trying to get by with Reggie Jackson and John Wall. However, Jackson is at-best a backup while Wall has fallen out of the team’s rotation as they look to either move him or potentially buy him out.
Unlike the Lakers, the Clippers could provide the type of win-now pieces that the Nets might desire as they look to remain in contention with Kevin Durant coming back from injury soon. The Clippers also have an intriguing young player in Terrance Mann as well as a first-round pick to offer in trade packages.
With so much interest in the mercurial guard, it feels like a deal will happen in the coming days. If the Lakers are truly motivated to acquire Irving, they will need to offer up anything they have to land him.
LeBron James tweets out eye emoji following Kyrie Irving’s trade request
James has a knack for stirring the pot, and he did so again as he tweeted out an eye emoji following the news of Irving’s trade request.
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