The Los Angeles Lakers have patiently waited while the Brooklyn Nets have sorted out their mess as the lone team interested in trading for Kyrie Irving. Los Angeles is interested in flipping Russell Westbrook and the required draft capital in order to reunite LeBron James and Kyrie.
Trade talks seemed to stall with Brooklyn first figuring out a potential Kevin Durant trade. It appeared that the two sides may have come to an agreement to tough it out and stick together but that all changed this week. Kevin Durant met with Nets owner Joe Tsai and reiterated his trade request, citing that it was either him or the duo of Sean Marks and Steve Nash.
Most owners would pick the all-time great player over a coach and general manager but this situation has different circumstances. The franchise has already given Durant and Kyrie everything they wanted and they are still unhappy. With more demands, Tsai may take a stand and maximize KD’s value while he can.
The latest tweet about Tsai supporting Marks and Nash seems to indicate which path the Nets are going to take this offseason.
Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.
— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) August 8, 2022
Of course, Tsai is not going to hop onto Twitter and outright denounce his head coach and general manager but the fact that he addressed this report in this way is telling. The Nets are probably sick and tired of giving Durant everything he wants only for him to remain unhappy.
Joe Tsai’s tweet may essentially guarantee that a Kyrie Irving trade happens for the Lakers.
Lakers fans should love that Tsai took to Twitter and took a stand in favor of his head coach and general manager. It is widely accepted that if a Durant trade happens then a Kyrie trade will certainly happen and Tsai siding with his coach and GM indicates that a Durant trade will indeed happen.
Durant is not the only one that feels this way, either. Kyrie reportedly shares the same feelings about Nash and Marks, making it even more likely that he is traded if Nash and Marks stick around.
It has already been well-documented that the Lakers are the only team that is really interested in bringing in Kyrie Irving as they are the only team that is desperate enough to take on that potential headache.
While it definitely has its risks, the Lakers would actually be good enough to win an NBA Championship with Irving (and hopefully Joe Harris/Seth Curry) in the lineup. As it stands right now, they will struggle to get out of the play-in.
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Hopefully, this was not just for show and Tsai is actually siding with his head coach and general manager. If so, an Irving trade is just a matter of time.