Getty Lakers GM Rob Pelinka (left) and head coach Darvin Ham
The Los Angeles Lakers will pursue a $36 million guard and $20 million forward next summer, according to a Western Conference executive.
Heavy’s Sean Deveney spoke to an anonymous executive who said that the Lakers will look at Kyrie Irving and Jerami Grant next offseason. Both players become unrestricted free agents after the 2022-23 season ends.
“No matter what they do with trades or however they reconstruct this year, they are going to keep an eye on next summer,” the exec told Deveney. “That is where they have a lot invested, being able to get another star-type player next summer. They’re going to look at Kyrie Irving of course, but he is probably not their top choice. They will look at Jerami Grant, who they liked for a long time. Same with Myles Turner. I think Andrew Wiggins would be a big prize there because he can play two ways.”
Russell Westbrook’s contract comes off the books next summer. As it stands, the Lakers only have LeBron James ($46.9 million), Anthony Davis ($40.6 million) and Max Christie ($1.7 million) under contract for the 2023-24 season. With the salary cap projected to be $134 million, Los Angeles could create upwards of $30 million to $35 million in cap space.
Lakers Tried to Get Irving This Summer
The Lakers tried to get Irving from the Brooklyn Nets this summer. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported in July that Los Angeles and Brooklyn were actively engaged in discussions on a trade package that would have sent Westbrook to the Nets and Irving to the Lakers.
However, after the Nets announced on August 23rd that two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant would not be traded, Irving was removed from the trade block. According to a July 29th report from Marc Stein of Substack, James wanted the Lakers to trade for Irving, who won the 2016 championship with LeBron on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Irving, 30, will make $36.5 million this season. The All-Star appeared in only 29 games for the Nets last campaign, averaging 27.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists. Irving didn’t make his 2021-22 season debut until January because he refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to an August 23rd report from Alex Schiffer of The Athletic, the Lakers “still really feel like” Irving will be with them in 2023-24. Irving not only won a championship with James, but he also was teammates with Davis on the 2014 FIBA World Cup team and has a relationship with Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy.
“You talk to people over in Los Angeles, they still really feel like Kyrie is coming to them next year,” Schiffer said on The Athletic NBA Show. “I’m curious to see how that goes over with recent events.”
Grant Could Be a Nice Fit in LA
Grant has never made an All-Star team, but he could be a solid fit on the Lakers since he’s a three-level scorer. The swingman averaged 19.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Detroit Pistons last season while shooting 42.6% from the field and 35.8% from beyond the arc.
The Pistons traded Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers over the summer. The Syracuse product will make $20.9 million this season in the final year of his contract.
According to an August 18th report from Stein, James has been assured that the Lakers are willing to trade their available future first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 to improve the team. The four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP signed a two-year, $97.1 million extension on August 18th. The extension includes a player option for the 2024-25 season.