The Los Angeles Lakers have patiently been waiting to make some kind of move for weeks now. While the team at least was able to lock down LeBron James on a new multi-year extension, the front office has not been able to make any moves that make this team a legitimate contender.
That is because the Lakers have essentially been waiting for the Brooklyn Nets to figure themselves out. Brooklyn could end up trading Kevin Durant this offseason and if they do Kyrie Irving will be right behind him, likely to the Los Angeles Lakers.
As more and more time has passed it has become less and less likely that the Nets will end up trading Durant and Irving. However, a new team has entered the mix that could potentially pique the Nets’ interest, leading to a domino effect that impacts the Lakers.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Memphis Grizzlies are now in the mix for Kevin Durant. Memphis has five first-round picks that it can trade to Brooklyn for Durant and four of those picks are unprotected. Simply put: Memphis has the draft capital to make this happen.
Memphis is also the perfect team to pony up and trade a surplus of draft capital for Durant. The Grizzlies are never a free-agent destination and they have something truly special in Ja Morant. They might view this as their one true time to build a contender that is among the favorites to win the NBA Championship.
A Kevin Durant trade to the Grizzlies would be bittersweet for the Lakers and Kyrie Irving.
This is bittersweet for the Lakers as it would open the door for the Nets to finally give into trading Kyrie Irving to the Los Angeles Lakers but it would also create a super team that the Lakers would have to compete against.
It is unclear whether or not Jaren Jackson would have to be in the trade back to Brooklyn but either way, the Grizzlies would become a very tough team to beat in the Western Conference.
While the Lakers are undoubtedly much better with Kyrie Irving in LA, they still probably are not better than a Grizzlies team that has both Morant and Durant on the floor. Those are two dynamic scorers who are respective unicorns that can beat you in a myriad of ways while also having a great supporting cast.
Of course, there are also injury concerns with Durant and Morant as Durant is getting up there in age and Morant’s style of play lends itself to injuries. But you could also say that about the Lakers’ star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Ranking 4 possible starting lineups for the Lakers this season
The Los Angeles Lakers could be completely different once the season begins. Here we rank four possible starting lineups for the purple and gold.
At the end of the day, every single Lakers fan would probably prefer if Memphis traded for Durant if that meant that Irving would shortly be on his way to Los Angeles thereafter. But if Durant could be traded to an Eastern Conference team that would still be the most ideal path for the Lake Show.