The Los Angeles Lakers are definitely still in the Kyrie Irving market but that market may no longer exist. A Kevin Durant trade seems extremely unlikely after the latest reports and thus, an Irving trade will not happen.
Los Angeles still has the massive Russell Westbrook contact on the books and needs to get him off the team. There is a zero percent chance that the Lakers will win the NBA Championship with Westbrook on the team, so moving him is imperative.
There certainly are various options for the team to consider. But what is the best-case scenario for the Lakers if Irving is indeed not coming to LA?
The best-case starting 5 that the Los Angeles Lakers can build without Kyrie Irving:
Before diving into the best-case starting five, we have to go over the obvious. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are obviously going to be part of the starting five. That is not worth breaking down, for obvious reasons.
However, nobody else that is currently slated to be in the starting five should be in the starting five. The other three positions would be filled with other players in this best-case scenario. Having Lonnie Walker and Thomas Bryant in the starting five is not the best-case scenario, although they could be good bench options.
That means that the Lakers have two starting guard spots and another starting spot in the front court. Los Angeles certainly can add players in each of these positions. Let’s dive into who the other members of this best-case starting five would be.