Lakers: Potential 3rd team for a Kyrie Irving trade no longer makes sense

The biggest storyline around the Los Angeles Lakers right now is the team possibly bringing in Kyrie Irving. Los Angeles put itself in a terrible situation after the Russell Westbrook trade and it may get a saving grace in the form of a bad relationship between Irving and the Brooklyn Nets.

It is growing more and more likely that Irving is going to leave the Nets and the Lakers are one of several teams that Kyrie listed as a potential trade destination. None of the other teams really make sense for Irving, especially with the New York Knicks looking to overpay another point guard in free agency.

Trading for Irving would also mean getting rid of Russell Westbrook, which is huge for the Lakers. If the Lakers were trading for Irving they would be more likely to trade a future first-round pick (or two) in order to get Westbrook off the books.

However, there is no chance that the Nets would actually want to take Westbrook back as that would only upset Kevin Durant more than he possibly already is. Thus, the Lakers have to find a third team that they can dump Westbrook to that can send the Nets some players for Irving.

There are quite a few options for the Lakers to consider but one of those options just potentially dropped out. The Washington Wizards no longer make sense after the latest Bradley Beal report.

Why the Wizards are no longer a candidate for the Lakers to loop into a Kyrie Irving trade:

According to reports from ESPN, Beal is expected to opt-out of the one year left on his contract and sign a five-year supermax deal with the Washington Wizards. Beal potentially re-signing with the Wizards takes Washington off the table as the entire way to get them involved would have included Beal.

This would have taken Beal wanting to get out of Washington and play for another contender, but with how the NBA works, it was certainly something that could have happened.

Beal could have essentially forced his way to Brooklyn, forcing the Wizards to grant his wish and trade something for him. So why wouldn’t Washington trade for Kyrie? Two reasons. First, Kyrie still has control in this situation as he could opt out of his deal to keep the Nets from trading him to a team he does not want to go to. The Wizards are not on his list.

Second, Washington would probably be better re-acquiring Westbrook in this situation anyway. The team is not winning anything with just Irving and Kristaps Porzingis. In trading for Westbrook, the Wizards get huge financial relief after the 2022-23 season and would likely get two (maybe three if the Nets trade one of the 76ers picks) just by taking on the Westbrook deal.

Sure, they would be losing Beal and would get more for him in a vacuum, but three picks for a guy who wants to leave anyways is a steal for Washington.

However, that guy does not want to leave as Beal is rightfully going to take the money. Signing an extension with Washington and then trading him does not work as a sign-and-trade of that manner would hard cap the Nets at the tax apron, which they are going to go over next season. The only way to make this possible is to use his player option.

So cross the Wizards off the list of potential third teams that can be looped into a Kyrie Irving deal.