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.
2. The Los Angeles Lakers are the only team interested in Kyrie Irving
It has been well-documented and reported this summer that Kyrie Irving does not have any trade value. He is in the last year of his contract, which was a player option that he accepted shortly before Kevin Durant demanded a trade.
The fact that Kyrie could not play in half of his team’s games last season has raised red flags and there were already concerns before he came to Brooklyn. Kyrie was not a great leader in Boston and requested a trade out of nowhere from the Cleveland Cavaliers to get away from LeBron.
One year of a wild card at a high salary is not something teams want to trade for. That is why the Lakers are the only team that is actually in the market for Kyrie. This forces the Nets’ hand to take whatever the Lakers can give.
Of course, both sides are going to work back and forth in getting the ideal package for either side and that is why we see all of these varying reports about the status of the trade. If Brooklyn had more suitors then they could hang that over the Lakers’ heads for a better package or even take another package.
The problem is that they don’t. The Nets know that, and more importantly, the Lakers know that. Los Angeles is the only team desperate enough to actually trade for Irving… which leads us to our third reason why it will inevitably happen.
3. Despite reports, the Los Angeles Lakers will be desperate enough to trade assets for Kyrie Irving
It is widely accepted that if the Los Angeles Lakers were willing to trade two first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets that the team would already have Kyrie on the payroll. However, it seems like the biggest hang-up right now is that the Lakers do not want to include that second pick.
You absolutely cannot blame the team for only wanting to package one pick in this trade and quite frankly, that is exactly what the Lakers should be trying to accomplish. That is why this has dragged on as the two teams get in a game of chicken over the compensation.
However, despite the reports, this is a Lakers team that has shown it will be desperate when backed up against the wall. After all, this is the same team that traded legitimate NBA assets to the Washington Wizards for Russell Westbrook a year ago.
Pelinka and the front office were willing to trade three legitimate NBA rotation players and a first-round pick to Washington for Westbrook. Do you really think they would completely shut it down if they had to attach an extra pick to dump Westbrook for Irving?
It does not even have to be the second pick. The Lakers could also take on more salary in return to entice the Nets. Both teams are taxpaying teams and that extra salary has huge luxury tax implications. The Lakers have been kind of cheap for a multi-billion-dollar sports team, but when backed up against the wall, they will pay the money.
They literally just did that last offseason in taking on a massive Westbrook contract. There is actual precedent there for the Lakers to pay up if needed.
Ranking 3 possible Kyrie Irving trades for the Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are all-in on Kyrie Irving and there are several different ways a potential trade with the Brooklyn Nets could go.
The mix of bad relationships, no other suitors and true desperation from the Lakers will ultimately bring Kyrie Irving to the City of Angels.