Ranking 3 possible Kyrie Irving trades for the Los Angeles Lakers
By Jason Reed
2. Los Angeles Lakers send two picks, but get Joe Harris in return
The Los Angeles Lakers do not want to send two draft picks to get rid of Russell Westbrook but at the end of the day, the team might have to in order to get a deal done. Granted, the team is going to do its best to play the game of chicken and stare down the Nets as long as possible to get Kyrie for as cheap as possible.
That does not always pan out as planned and there is a chance that the team has to trade two picks. That being said, the Lakers can probably get the second pick to merely be a swap and can absolutely get another player added to the package to entice LA.
The Nets do not want to take on more money because they are a tax-paying team and this trade would result in the Nets freeing up $8 million. Because the Lakers are taking on Harris’s contract in this trade, they can likely convince the Nets to simply execute a swap for that 2028 pick.
LA might not want to make this kind of trade because the franchise pinches pennies at times but at the end of the day, getting Westbrook off the roster for Kyrie AND Joe Harris is worth a pick and a pick swap.
Harris has his concerns, sure, but he is a perfect role player to put on this team. The Lakers currently do not have any real shooters on the roster and Harris is the best off-ball three-point shooter in the league.
The only thing that can topple this trade package is one where LA takes on significantly more money for the price of just one draft pick.