After flirting with blowing up the entire team in the offseason, the Brooklyn Nets ended up playing really good basketball this season behind Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. That was not enough for Irving to demand a trade, as reported on Friday, with the Los Angeles Lakers looking like the most logical destination.
Los Angeles was the only team that seemed to have real interest in Irving over the summer when trade rumors first swirled. With Russell Westbrook still on the roster and Irving back on the trade market, the Lakers have once again entered the conversation.
The main hurdle for Los Angeles is the fact that Brooklyn is playing well and is not going take a package of Westbrook and picks for Irving. Brooklyn will want tangible pieces in return and Kevin Durant doesn’t necessarily have the best relationship with Westbrook.
Thus, the Lakers are going to need to loop in a third team to make the trade feasible for all parties. Luckily, there are some candidates who may be able to help.
3 teams that can help the Lakers trade for Kyrie Irving:
1. Utah Jazz
Perhaps the most talked-about potential third team is the Utah Jazz. Utah is in a place to sell off the assets it has on the roster and despite being a tanking team, there are some intriguing assets for Brooklyn to want to bring in.
Utah and Los Angeles have connected in three-team trade possibilities before when the Jazz was surveying the market for Donovan Mitchell. That established connection could streamline this process for all parties involved.
The framework of the deal would involve Westbrook and draft capital going to Utah while there are several candidates that could then go to Brooklyn. Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, Colin Sexton, Malik Beasley and Kelly Olynyk are all players who could be moved.