Although super teams seem to be dying off by the year in the NBA, there are still some franchises trying to make them work, including the Brooklyn Nets.
Both the Lakers and the Nets created their own that they thought would be enough to compete for a championship. For entirely different reasons than each other, both teams fell very short of winning a title, and they will both go back to the drawing board in the offseason.
On paper it looks like the Nets have a better shot at getting back into contention with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and a healthy Ben Simmons all being ready to start the year. For the Lakers they’ll be banking on a healthy Anthony Davis and LeBron James, and possibly Russell Westbrook if they are unable to move him in the offseason.
A common critique of the Lakers last year was that they were too old, and Fox Sports analyst Shannon Sharpe suggests that Los Angeles should do one thing that would make them younger, and possibly better.
On the May 9 episode of Undisputed, he told Skip Bayless the Lakers should flip LeBron for Kyrie. This is a trade that wouldn’t have much hope of ever happening, but it’s exciting to think about for both sides.
LeBron With KD
Pairing up LeBron James with Kevin Durant would make the Nets a must-watch team overnight. While this duo would be a lot more exciting to watch five years ago, the two of them together would certainly make for guaranteed entertainment.
Sharpe goes as far as saying that it’d be a wrap for the rest of the league.
“I like LeBron in Brooklyn, LeBron and KD,” he said. “It’s over. It’d be over. It’d be over.”
He argues that if Kyrie got sent to LA, he’d be found on the beach missing games due to being distracted.
“You gonna get Kyrie, Kyrie gonna be at the beach with his family on game day on some day,” Sharpe continued. “You don’t know where he is. California is really, really nice. The weather is really, really nice. And Kyrie be on his own thing. He might be not at some yoga studio. He might be looking for nice sage to burn.”
Bayless mentioned how Irving is much younger than LeBron James is, and that might make him and Anthony Davis a better pair in Los Angeles.
“I like this idea, I co-sign,” Bayless said.
Low Chance of This Happening
The whole idea of this trade happening came up in a hypothetical, and it’s highly unlikely either Sharpe or Bayless believe it’s possible.
With Bayless being LeBron’s number one hater, seeing him on a team with Durant, somebody who he often praises, would be a dream scenario for the analyst.
The Nets are looking for a way to get a championship fast, and the same can be said for the Lakers. Both of their rosters are constructed to win now, so flipping their marquee pieces might seem like something that would be counterproductive to doing that.
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Blockbuster Nets Trade Would Pair Kevin Durant With LeBron: ‘It’d Be All Over’