Getty LeBron James, Kevin Durant
Russell Westbrook has been a buzzword for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, as the front office continues to struggle in finding a willing trade partner.
Of course, Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets – two other buzzwords in the Lakers off-season, project to be the Lakers’ best chance of striking a deal – assuming the two teams can agree to terms on a trade package. At present, it would appear negotiations have stalled, leaving Westbrook and his family in limbo, with the start of training camp slowly coming over the horizon.
Yet, according to an NBA Insider who spoke with Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus for a July 28 article, there is a way Los Angeles can break the deadlock, and convince Sean Marks into signing off on a deal.
Latest @BleacherReport What Should LA Lakers Do with Russell Westbrook? Insider Opinions Vary Widely – I asked around, got some interesting, divergent takes
“Kyrie is the move. They should offer Davis with Westbrook. Try and get Kevin Durant. KD for AD and a pick is as close as [the Nets] will get to what they want,” The insider told Pincus for his article.
Of course, adding Anthony Davis into any potential trade discussion will always make the other team more receptive, but whether or not Brooklyn would be willing to send both Irving and Kevin Durant to the Lakers is another question entirely.
This Trade Has Been Proposed Before
A blockbuster trade between the Lakers and Nets has been proposed before, although not by somebody with an inner link to the ongoing of trade negotiations. In fact, the last time the notion of Westbrook and Davis for Irving and LeBron was postulated, it came from SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell on July 26.
Just wake me up when Kyrie is a Laker 🥱
The trade itself makes perfect sense for both parties – the Nets remove two stars who clearly see their futures away from the franchise, while the Lakers end their relationship with Westbrook, and admit that Davis isn’t the heir apparent to LeBron James after all.
Of course, trades aren’t made on paper, and what makes sense to us, might not be what makes sense to a front office or coaching staff – as they have to consider roster fit, personality clashes, and availability, to name just a few aspects. As such, it’s highly unlikely we see this trade come to fruition, if for no other reason than it simply makes too much sense.
Irving Likely Remaining in Brooklyn
During a July 25 appearance on the Pat McAfee show, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Kyrie Irving has accepted he will likely remain in Brooklyn for the final year of his contract.
Are the Brooklyn Nets still trying to win ONE of these @ShamsCharania
“Kyrie Irving opted in with the full intent of playing out next season as a Brooklyn Net. From everything that I’ve been told, in his mind, he’s playing next year in Brooklyn – with or without Kevin Durant. Irving opted in, there was an understanding that he was going to make the best decision for himself, and Durant will be making his decision as well. From everything I’ve been told, Kyrie Irving has made his intent, he wants to play out next season in Brooklyn and be an unrestricted free agent next summer,” Charania said on July 25.
If Irving has truly accepted that he will not be moving teams until next season, and the Nets are content with trying to convince him to sign a new deal in the summer while also risking losing him for nothing, the Lakers will need to pivot their attentions elsewhere – and that might mean accepting Westbrook is going to be their starting point guard again next season.