3 reasons why it’s a Lakers blessing that Kyrie Irving is staying with Nets
3. Kyrie Irving would’ve wanted a big extension and probably would’ve cost the Lakers future first-round picks.
If the Lakers were somehow able to sign Kyrie for the taxpayer mid-level exception, it would have been the best deal ever from a team’s perspective. However, the Lakers were never going to get him to leave $31 million on the table and he was likely using that rumor to bait the Nets into offering him a max extension.
He presumably would have wanted that same extension if the Lakers did do a sign and trade deal with him and that is the biggest reason why this would have been a bad deal. At least Westbrook’s horrendous deal will for sure come off the books after next season, if the Lakers did the sign and trade for Irving that included a four-year max extension, they would be stuck paying him into 2026.
Westbrook proved how quickly a player’s trade value can decline, and how difficult it can be to get a bad max contract off the books. Out of the list of teams that Irving told the Nets he would accept a trade to, the Lakers were apparently the only team pursuing Irving in a sign and trade, and that should tell them all they need to know about his trade value at the moment.
The Lakers had three max players last season and that only left them enough cap room to fill out the roster with veteran minimum contracts.
Consequently, they lacked depth because of that, and they would be in a similar situation with Irving. As long as they have three max players on the roster, it will be hard for them to fill out their roster with impact players.
It will be even harder this offseason for the Lakers to fill out their roster with minimum players with either Westbrook or Irving on the books because players will likely be more hesitant to join a team that missed the playoffs last season. The only reason they were able to get players like Malik Monk to take a minimum deal was mainly because of their title expectations entering last season.
Another major drawback to a deal for Irving would have been that the Lakers would have probably had to give up their 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks. Sure, those picks will be used on players that are probably not in high school yet, but they are some of the only assets that the Lakers have left to trade.
The Lakers need to think about not only maximizing LeBron James’ championship window but think of a future beyond him as well. Thankfully this time around the Lakers held on to their picks and their future does not look as bleak because of it.