Lakers trade rumors: 3 teams that can help the Lakers land Kyrie Irving

By Jason Reed | Feb 4, 2023

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 28: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets brings the ball up the court during the first quarter of the game against the New York Knicks at Barclays Center on January 28, 2023 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images) /

2. Charlotte Hornets

If we are going to talk about tanking teams in the NBA this season then we can’t go much longer without mentioning the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are 15-39 at the time of writing this and have the fourth-worst record in the NBA.

Being one of the worst three teams in the league is imperative for tanking teams as the bottom three teams have the exact same odds of getting the no. 1 pick (14%). The fourth-worst team has a 12.5% chance of landing the no. 1 overall pick while also having a lesser chance of landing a top-three pick.

Charlotte also has tradeable contracts that it can send to Brooklyn in a three-team deal. These players could actually have value to the Nets as well, which is the most important facet of a three-team trade working.

To make the money work, the Hornets could send Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Mason Plumlee to Brooklyn. This would give the Nets a quality point guard to replace Kyrie with serviceable role players to plug into the rotation.

Charlotte would have to get draft capital to do this trade but this could be a case where they are willing to take on less capital to get out of Rozier’s contract. Rozier’s contract is not massive but getting financial flexibility is a big plus.

Westbrook is also perfect for Charlotte. That is the perfect small-market team to sell out because Westbrook is in town while still losing games.

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