The Los Angeles Lakers have been patiently waiting while the Brooklyn Nets figure out what they are going to do next. Kevin Durant requested a trade earlier this offseason, opening the door for the Lakers to fix their Russell Westbrook problem by acquiring Kyrie Irving.
A potential Irving trade has lost steam over the last few weeks as the Nets seemed to stall in their trade talks for Durant. Without a Durant trade, an Irving trade will not happen. With a Durant trade, an Irving trade is a near guarantee.
Reports of Durant meeting with Nets’ owner Joe Tsai took the air out of Lakers fans’ tires as it seemed like the two sides were going to come to some kind of agreement. However, that meeting was not beneficial for the Nets, as Durant continued to make his demands clear, per Shams Charania.
In a meeting with Nets owner Joe Tsai, Kevin Durant reiterated his trade request and informed Tsai that Tsai needs to choose between Durant or the pairing of general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash, sources say.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 8, 2022
Story: https://t.co/W1voNf9MDC
This seems like an easy decision for Tsai to make. Simply fire Steve Nash and Sean Marks, right? Well, maybe not. In fact, this ultimatum presented by Durant is exactly what the Lakers want to hear.
A Kyrie Irving trade is more likely for the Lakers after this report.
On paper the Nets should obviously keep Durant and Kyrie and simply get rid of Steve Nash and Sean Marks. However, considering everything that has happened in the last three years, it would not be shocking to see Tsai take a stand.
First of all, the Nets have given into every single whim that Durant and Kyrie have had and it has still been a disaster. Nash is the head coach because of Durant and Irving. The team sold its future for James Harden because of Durant and Nash.
What is going to happen if Tsai gives in and meets these demands? The Nets will still likely fall short of the NBA Finals, Kyrie will leave for greener pastures (as he has twice in his career already) and Durant will just demand another trade with his value being less.
If the Nets want to roll the dice and fire Nash and Marks to try and win a championship this season then they have to understand the risks. They are the third or fourth-best team in the East and if they don’t make the NBA Finals, they are going to have to blow it up next summer and will get back 60% of the assets that they would have gotten this offseason.
It is not like Nash is some fantastic head coach. They can afford to move on from him. Marks is probably replaceable too. It all boils down to how Tsai feels simply bowing down to Durant yet again. This mess has happened because they have given into Durant so much. At what point is it too much?
3 early in-season buyout targets for the Los Angeles Lakers
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The Los Angeles Lakers are hoping that point is this offseason just so they can fix their massive problem.