Getty Andre Drummond, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant
Kyrie Irving’s name has been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers several times this season. In July, Chris B. Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that the Nets and Lakers had preliminary talks about a trade that would send the Nets star to Los Angeles and former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook to Brooklyn.
NBA insider Marc Stein confirmed that report in August, reporting that Lakers star LeBron James ‘badly’ wants a reunion with his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate.
“Westbrook is well aware that the Lakers have been trying hard to move him. And that James badly wants Irving to take his place,” Stein wrote per his Substack account.
However, NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports says that the desire for Irving to be a Laker is more of a want of the Lakers than it is for Kyrie.
“Kyrie Irving becoming a Laker is still “a Lakers desire more than an Irving desire currently” I’m told,” Robinson tweeted on August 4.
Kyrie Irving becoming a Laker is still “a Lakers desire more than an Irving desire currently” I’m told.
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Kyrie Irving Still Committed to Nets
The Nets have had a dramatic summer to say the least. After Kevin Durant requested a trade from the franchise on June 30, most assumed that Kyrie would also be on his way out the door. But one source close to the situation tells Brian Lewis of the New York Post that Irving never requested a trade and is fully committed to the Nets.
“How did we get into this situation about trade, when he opted in?” the source asked rhetorically. “Here is the situation. He opted in, which means he had, and he has, every intention of playing with the Brooklyn Nets. KD decides he wants out, and now everybody is talking about trading Kyrie, right,” the source said to Lewis in July.
“Kyrie has not asked for a trade. Now, if the Nets don’t want him, that’s something totally different. Kyrie has not said he wants a trade. He opted in. [So where did] the trade conversations come from? Is it because KD requested a trade and now everybody’s like let’s trade Ky? Kyrie opted in”
Lakers Could Be Top Option for Kyrie Next Summer
Kyrie’s commitment to the Nets seems set in stone, at least for this season. But despite opting into the final his of his deal, he and the Nets have not been able to agree on the terms of a new contract. As a result, next summer, he will become a free agent and will be able to leave the Nets if he chooses.
Jovan Buha of “The Athletic” says that when Irving does hit the free agent market in 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers could be atop the list of his preferred destinations.
“All indications are that the Lakers are Irving’s top destination if he leaves Brooklyn,” Buha writes.
“Whether it’s via a trade between now and the February 2023 trade deadline, or in free agency next summer, when Westbrook’s salary will be off the books.”
The Nets, thus far, look like they will bring back all of their core guys this season. It will be interesting to see if they can deliver the franchise its first NBA title.
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