The Los Angeles Lakers have had a relatively uneventful offseason thus far but there has been one massive move that is looming over the team’s head. Los Angeles has been in the market for a potential Kyrie Irving trade, which would not only bring the all-star guard to LA but would get rid of Russell Westbrook.
While all signs were pointing to the trade being inevitable, things have slowed down in recent days as the Nets (rightfully) shift their focus to trading Kevin Durant. The Durant market does not seem to be as plentiful as the Nets thought and it wouldn’t be totally surprising if KD starts next season in Brooklyn.
If that happens then Kyrie Irving likely won’t be traded and the Lakers will head into the season with their disappointing roster. That is why a Kyrie deal is so important to the team. Unfortunately, it now seems like Irving won’t even be available, at least if we read the tea leaves.
ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst had something very interesting to say during a recent appearance on NBA Today. Windhorst seemingly indicated that Irving is no longer on the trade market.
"“I don’t know how [Kyrie] felt about the fact that [the Nets] could not get much action in trade talks for either a sign and trade or when he was briefly potentially on the market when Durant asked for a trade. […] If Kyrie wants to control his destiny and get the contract that he wants, he’s going to have to have a big year this year and there is going to be a big bullseye on him if he stays in Brooklyn.”"
It is easy to miss the most compelling part of this response from Windhorst. The fact that he said “when he was briefly potentially on the market with Durant asked for a trade” insinuates that Irving is no longer on the market for the Nets.
The Los Angeles Lakers need to explore Kyrie Irving backup plans.
Whle trading for Kyrie Irving would be great, the Lakers cannot be held hostage by the Brooklyn Nets in this situation. If there is another opportnuity on the table for the Lakers they might just have to jump at it.
Some potential options for the Lakers include trading for Buddy Hield as well as being looped into a Donovan Mitchell trade with the New York Knicks to get an expiring contract in Westbrook to Utah while the Lakers take on contracts like Julius Randle and Evan Fournier.
Aside from that, the Lakers do not really have many outs with Russell Westbrook and fans should be worried about the domino effect. If the Lakers struggle again this season then LeBron James could easily bounce next summer and right behind him will be Anthony Davis.
3 mistakes the Lakers will definitely regret from this offseason
The Los Angeles Lakers are not going to make the best decision every time and the team will end up regretting these three mistakes.
That is what makes this offseason so important and why it is so important to show a commitment to winning a title and making LeBron happy. Hopefully, LA can accomplish that by actually trading for Kyrie.