3 reasons why the Lakers will undoubtedly pull off a Kyrie Irving trade
By Jason Reed
With every day that passes fans may be growing more and more doubtful that the Los Angeles Lakers will actually land Kyrie Irving. All signs seemed to be pointing to Irving moving to LA and the hype slowly fizzled.
Now it seems that there is at least a reality in which a trade does not happen this summer, which would keep the Lakers in the same awful position they are currently in. While that is certainly possible, it is far more likely that Rob Pelinka and co. actually do pull off a trade for Irving.
In fact, it is inevitable. All of the reports that might cast doubt are all leverage plays by either team. When the dust settles, Kyrie Irving will be donning the purple and gold in October.
Here are 3 reasons why the Lakers will undoubtedly pull off a Kyrie Irving trade:
1. The relationships on both sides are too fractured
It is going to be very strenuous for both the Lakers and Nets if they do not pull off some kind of trade for Irving or Russell Westbrook this summer. The relationship between the players, teams and even some teammates is simply too fractured to repair at this point in time.
Brooklyn’s relationship is reportedly so bad with Kyrie that a waive-and-stretch provision is not completely off the table. There is a very good chance that Joe Tsai and Sean Marks do not want to see Irving return to Brooklyn under any circumstance.
Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook just fired his agent because he didn’t see eye-to-eye with him about his future in LA. His agent thought staying with the Lakers was the best bet, while Westbrook wants out. Westbrook in LA has already been a nightmare. Imagine an even more disgruntled Westbrook.
It is in both teams’ best interest to simply get rid of the point guard that they currently have on the roster. But that alone does not guarantee a trade between the two sides.