3. A starting five that only swaps Russell Westbrook for Kyrie Irving
- PG: Kyrie Irving
- SG: Lonnie Walker
- SF: LeBron James
- PF: Anthony Davis
- C: Thomas Bryant
This is the exact same lineup as before but instead of Russell Westbrook at point guard it would be Kyrie Irving. This would be the starting lineup if the Lakers do trade for Kyrie Irving and that is it. No extra players attached, no other trades to be made. Just Russell Westbrook and two first-round picks for Kyrie.
This team still has some of the same problems (obviously) as the other team. Defense is still an issue as Irving is not necessarily a good defender and the depth on the bench is still an issue as well.
That being said, swapping Westbrook for Irving is such a massive upgrade for the Lakers that it makes this lineup significantly better than the lineup before. While Irving himself has his concerns as a player, he fits alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis so much better than Westbrook does.
Suddenly the floor spacing is no longer an absolute disaster and the team can utilize Anthony Davis in the way he is meant to be utilized instead of turning him into a horrible jump shooter.
Irving can help take some of the playmaking duties off of LeBron’s plate in the regular season while also giving the team a much-needed boost in three-point shooting. As it stands right now, the Lakers are projected to be one of the worst, if not the worst,three-point shooting teams in the league.