Getty Lakers GM Rob Pelinka (left) and head coach Darvin Ham
A seven-time All-Star and NBA champion is reportedly not a part of the Los Angeles Lakers’ long-term plans.
According to an October 3rd report from Sam Amick, Shams Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, All-NBA point guard Kyrie Irving is currently not a player the Lakers are thinking about adding next summer. The Brooklyn Nets star becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2022-23 season.
“Throughout the summer, Irving was the prized superstar whose name was front and center of Lakers fans,” Amick, Charania and Buha reported. “Sources say the Lakers made multiple inquiries and submitted concepts to the Nets on potential Irving deals in July and August, but upon opting into his $36.9 million player option in late June, Irving had committed to Brooklyn for the upcoming season.
“So as July wore on and led into August, Brooklyn shut the door on any Irving trade – closing the window on a Irving-James reunion. The Nets made clear they had no intention to move Irving and ultimately resolved Kevin Durant’s trade request to continue building their championship hopes around All-Stars in Irving, Durant and Ben Simmons. As for the prospect of adding Irving via free agency next summer, sources say he’s currently not a part of the Lakers’ long-term plans.”
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 Russell 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 no longer available to be moved.
LeBron James ‘Badly’ Wanted Lakers to Replace Westbrook with Irving
According to a July 29th report from Marc Stein of Substack, four-time MVP LeBron James wanted the Lakers to trade for Irving. Stein also reported that Westbrook knew about James’ desire to play with Irving.
“As it stands, barring a trade to ship out Westbrook suddenly coalescing after weeks of fruitless talks, (Darvin) Ham is going to have to coach Westbrook, which is bound to be challenging in the extreme given that Westbrook is well aware that the Lakers have been trying hard to move him,” Stein reported. “And that James badly wants Irving to take his place.”
James and Irving played in 183 regular-season games together on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014-15 to 2016-17, compiling a record of 132-51. The two stars also went 39-13 in the playoffs and guided the Cavaliers to the 2016 championship over the Golden State Warriors in seven games.
Irving, 30, will make $36.5 million this season. The Duke product appeared in only 29 games for the Nets last campaign, averaging 27.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists. Uncle Drew didn’t make his 2021-22 season debut until January because he refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
Irving Is a Better Fit on Lakers Than Westbrook Is
The Lakers could have competed for the title this season had they acquired Irving, who is a better shooter than Westbrook. Irving is a career 39.3% shooter from beyond the arc, while Westbrook is at 30.5%.
“Kyrie’s fit in L.A. probably doesn’t require much analysis. He and LeBron won a title together in 2016,” Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey wrote on July 22nd. “He can shoot, which is the biggest differentiator between him and Westbrook. And he’s almost four years younger than Westbrook, too. Even with whatever off-court concerns may come with Kyrie, replacing Russ with him feels like a no-brainer.”
Westbrook started 78 games for the Lakers last season. The nine-time All-Star averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field, 29.8% from beyond the arc and 66.7% from the free-throw line. Westbrook was second in the NBA in turnovers and had the sixth-worst effective field goal percentage, making him a poor fit next to James and Anthony Davis.