Kyrie Irving threw a grenade at the Brooklyn Nets on Friday by demanding a trade before the NBA trade deadline.
The Los Angeles Lakers are considered the top landing spot for Nets’ star Kyrie Irving
Due to his off-court problems, it will be difficult for Irving to find a team willing to trade for him before the deadline.
A serious contender for the championship probably doesn’t have or want to trade the assets necessary to secure Irving, and doing so would likely cause team strife.
The Los Angeles Lakers are the exception, though.
The Lakers have a real shot at making a deep playoff run this season now that Anthony Davis is healthy and the Western Conference is wide open, and adding Kyrie Irving could immediately catapult them into championship contention.
The Lakers are trying to acquire the Nets’ star player because he wants to play alongside LeBron James in Los Angeles.
On February 3, Nadkarni proposed a bizarre three-way trade involving the Nets, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Chicago Bulls.
- The Los Angeles Lakers get: Kyrie Irving
- The Brooklyn Nets get: Zach LaVine, Coby White
- The Chicago Bulls get: Russell Westbrook, 2027 and ’29 Lakers unprotected first-round picks
“Los Angeles is probably the most clear suitor for Irving,” Nadkarni wrote. “He has a relationship with LeBron James. The Lakers have been linked to him before. And if any team is desperate enough to be willing to take on the risk of Kyrie in a contract year, it’s the Lakers, who have been clinging to their future first-round picks in the hopes of swinging for a star.
“Maybe there’s some conversation about the protections on the Lakers picks. Or maybe they only need to part with one of them. And it’s possible the Nets balk at the years left on Lavine’s deal, though Joe Tsai has been willing to spend. But the Bulls have been at the forefront of trade rumors, and if they do decide to reconfigure their current build, acquiring Westbrook gives them a huge expiring deal, and those future picks are very enticing. The Nets can remain competitive with LaVine, who while not as skilled a shotmaker as Irving, is a more than competent offensive replacement.”
Read also: The L.A Lakers can trade for Kyrie Irving with Lonnie Walker IV and Patrick Beverley
Kyrie Irving is a player that LeBron James wants the Lakers to trade for.
“LeBron wants the Lakers to trade for Kyrie. Everyone in the NBA knows this. Both of them have moved on from what happened in Cleveland and realize they are a perfect match with each other on the court.” per Heavy Sports.
LeBron James and the Lakers have been linked to Kyrie Irving before; in July of last year, the Lakers’ superstar was reportedly trying to get James and Irving to join forces.
James and Davis are confident that with Irving by their side, the Lakers have a shot at the NBA Finals and the title this year. From 2014-15 to 2016-17, Irving and James appeared in 183 regular season games with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where they posted a 132-51 record.
https://twitter.com/LeBronFactory/status/1621591296480800768?s=20&t=Pl4ZJBwAfqPzzDZiCS9-IA
In 2016, the Cavaliers, led by the two NBA greats, defeated the Golden State Warriors in seven nail-biting games to win the NBA title. The Cavaliers went 39-13 in the playoffs.
What follows is something we must wait to find out!
