There were a lot of rumors during the offseason about potential trades for the Los Angeles Lakers to make and perhaps the most prominent was one involving Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving. There were reports about a possible Russell Westbrook-Kyrie Irving swap and also some rumors that maybe Irving could choose to opt-out of the final year of his contract and join the Lakers on a mid-level deal.
But now Irving’s basketball future seems up in the air after he was suspended for at least five games by the Nets and given a list of things to do before he can return to the team. This, of course, came after Irving posted a documentary which contained anti-semitic themes and failed to apologize when immediately asked about it.
With all of the controversy surrounding him, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Nets began looking to trade him away and the Lakers obviously would be brought up as a possible landing spot. But according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, it is highly unlikely the Lakers make any type of deal for him:
When Irving strongly considered opting out of the final season of his deal worth $37 million in late June, there were rumblings that he might be willing to sign a taxpayer midlevel deal with the Lakers ($6.4 million) as a way of getting where he reportedly wanted to go. Yet as we reported in early October and a sentiment that still exists, sources say the Lakers have significant concerns about the prospect of adding Irving at any price and have not been focused on that scenario all season long.
It’s quite clear that Laker Land is a highly unlikely, if not impossible, landing spot.
It makes sense that the Lakers would want to steer clear of Irving as it would be a terrible look to bring him in amidst all of the controversy and issues. Despite Irving’s obvious talent, he simply isn’t worth all of the baggage that comes with him and especially not worth the Lakers giving up any sort of assets.
This is a shame as Irving truly is an outstanding basketball player who, on the court, could help the Lakers with his scoring and shooting. But the Lakers are making the right move in staying away from all of the drama that he would bring to the team.
Lakers offered Westbrook, second-round picks to Spurs for Richardson & McDermott
While they are staying out of the Kyrie Irving business for now, the Lakers have been looking around the league for other potential deals and one potential trade partner that has been brought up is the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have a pair of shooters in Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott that interest the Lakers, but the team is being cautious in what they are willing to offer.
The latest reports say that the team offered Westbrook and a pair of second-round picks for the two Spurs shooters which doesn’t interest San Antonio. But with the team continuing to struggle, it could force the front office to up their offer.
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