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Kyrie Irving to the Lakers? This is why L.A. held on to its draft picks and here’s what a trade with Nets could look like
This is the reason the Los Angeles Lakers have been holding onto their future draft picks while 38-year-old LeBron James kept starring for a sub-.500 team.
When the Lakers decided to not include their two remaining tradeable first-round picks in a potential deal involving Pacers role players Myles Turner and Buddy Hield earlier in the season, or conceding one of their first-round picks in a smaller deal during the season, it was because they were optimistic a superstar that would merit their inclusion would become available before the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
That opportunity popped up on Friday afternoon when Brooklyn Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving requested a trade, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The Lakers have interest in acquiring Irving, according to multiple league sources who were granted anonymity to speak freely on the subject. The framework of a potential deal would be Russell Westbrook and the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 first-round picks — with the Lakers pushing to add lottery protection to at least one of them — in exchange for Irving and another Nets role player (likely Joe Harris), according to those sources. Depending on how the Nets value the Lakers’ picks and what happens with Kevin Durant in the wake of this news, the Lakers could reroute one of their picks to a third team, who would then send additional players to Brooklyn to help the Nets remain competitive.
The situation remains fluid. The going cost to get a team to take on Westbrook and his $47.1 million salary has been one first-round pick at a minimum since last summer. But given Irving’s on-court pedigree and play this season, the Lakers would almost certainly have to include both first-round picks. Protecting one of those picks could result in the Nets asking for the Lakers to perhaps include Austin Reaves or Max Christie, two of the Lakers’ promising young role players. But the Lakers aren’t interested in including either in a potential package, according to those sources.
The Lakers aren’t the only team expected to pursue Irving. As Charania reported, the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks are also interested. Both teams could theoretically offer better win-now packages, depending on which players they’re willing to include.
The Lakers have a finite number of assets they can trade. They cannot deal any first-round draft picks until 2027 due to prior trades for Davis and Westbrook. They could technically include a pick swap in 2028, making it essentially three first-round picks, if they so choose. That may not be enough to top another trade package out there from another team, though Irving could potentially steer the market by suggesting he’ll only extend or re-sign in certain markets, like Los Angeles.
If the Lakers cannot find a third team, they may need to take back more salary in addition to swapping Westbrook and the picks for Irving. Only four Nets players are making between $8 and $20 million this year: Joe Harris ($18.7 million), Royce O’Neale ($9.5 million), Nic Claxton ($8.5 million) and Seth Curry ($8.5 million). The Lakers have interest in any of those, but Harris is the one the Nets will most likely want to trade given his contract (he is under contract for $19.9 million in the 2023-24 season) and injury history.
This is similar to the framework of an Irving trade the two teams discussed over the summer after Durant demanded out. But the Nets and Durant were able to work things out after his public request, which ultimately led to the Nets keeping Irving too. It’s possible Irving also rescinds his request or the Nets work out a deal with him, if only to appease Durant, at a minimum. The Nets could also call Irving’s bluff and keep him through the end of the season, daring him to sit out games and/or lose more money.
The Lakers could potentially wait to sign Irving as a free agent this summer. But their trade for Rui Hachimura, a pending restricted free agent they hope to re-sign as well, signaled that they aren’t necessarily interested in operating as a team with significant cap space this offseason. Acquiring Irving now means getting his Bird rights, which would allow them to extend or re-sign him no matter their cap situation. As of now, it’s unclear if the Lakers would be willing to offer the four-year extension that Irving is seeking.
James seemed to co-sign the Lakers’ trading for Irving with a cryptic tweet.
James wanted the Lakers to acquire Irving over the summer, as The Athletic reported at the time. He has since made it clear throughout the season that he’d like additional help, most notably in a recent conversation with The Athletic’s Sam Amick.
It’s also worth noting that Magic Johnson also tweeted his approval for trading for Irving. The Lakers legend remains close with Jeanie Buss and is still advising the organization on personnel moves despite abruptly resigning as the franchise’s president of basketball operations in 2019.
While Westbrook has played better this season, the Lakers’ use of $47 million on a bench player isn’t ideal. There is still concern about Westbrook’s viability in playoff-type settings and when closing games, especially since the roster’s perimeter shooting shortage compounds his weaknesses. The Lakers have been open to keeping Westbrook if a viable alternative didn’t present itself.
The possibility of acquiring Irving clearly meets the criteria of a viable alternative. Irving is a far better player and fit on the Lakers’ roster. He can play on and off the ball, already knows how to play with James from their time in Cleveland and showed in Brooklyn that he’s fine deferring to superstars like Durant and (briefly) James Harden. As they do with Westbrook, the Lakers could also stagger James and Irving’s minutes, to an extent, with Irving running certain bench units alongside Davis.
Remember: The reason the Lakers traded Danny Green for Dennis Schröder in 2020 – and acquired Westbrook in 2021 in the first place – was because they wanted to put an elite ball handler next to James who could alleviate his offensive workload. Neither move has panned out, though Schröder has been solid in his second go-round with the Lakers. But Irving is the caliber of player who would check all of those boxes.
Irving’s perimeter shooting would provide the biggest boost to the offense. Teams have to defend him at the 3-point line — and, frankly, anywhere beyond 12 feet, which is the zone they begin to ignore Westbrook. The gap between the two is large. Irving is an All-Star starter. Flipping Westbrook and future picks for him is a no-brainer from a basketball perspective.
Irving certainly comes with obvious concerns. He was suspended in November by the Nets for a minimum of five games without pay after he posted a link to a documentary promoting anti-Semitic views on his social media accounts, then repeatedly refused to apologize for doing so. (He ended up missing eight games.) There are Laker fans that will never accept Irving because of what he did. Los Angeles has the second-largest Jewish population in the country behind New York, so the Lakers would risk turning off part of their fan base by trading for him. Nike notably severed ties with Irving despite him being one of the most popular NBA athletes.
(For what it’s worth, the Lakers recently worked out Meyers Leonard, who is trying to make his comeback to the NBA after making an anti-Semitic remark while streaming on Twitch in 2021).
There is also Irving’s troubling track record of wanting out of every team he’s played for: Cleveland, Boston and now Brooklyn twice. He has a flair for the dramatic. When he leaves a situation, there is often chaos.
Still, adding Irving gives the Lakers a legitimate Big Three of James, Davis and Irving. Depending on one’s view of Irving, the Lakers could arguably have three top-15 players on its roster. Irving is 30 years old. He can phase into the next era of Lakers basketball with Davis, forming an All-NBA star duo for the next several years. Plus, Harris is more than just a throw-in. He’s the type of defense-bending shooter the Lakers desperately need; he and Irving would immediately become the Lakers’ two best shooters.
Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said that any trade involving the picks would have to make the Lakers “front runners” in the title race. It’s unclear if acquiring Irving vaults the Lakers into that stratosphere — especially considering they’re 12th in the West and not even in the Play-In tournament currently — but it’s about as close as the Lakers will get this winter and certainly gives them a chance in any Western Conference series.
James-Davis-Irving would be the best trio in the league, and while the Lakers’ supporting cast obviously has certain limitations and glaring holes, a group of Harris, Hachimura, Reaves, Schröder, Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown Jr., Lonnie Walker IV and Patrick Beverley is solid enough that the Lakers can piece together a useful rotation. (Beverley and Walker IV could also be included in an Irving package or a separate deal to further upgrade the rotation, league sources tell The Athletic.)
It took several months, but the Irving to the Lakers talks are back on. Los Angeles has less than a week to determine how much they’re willing to give up for Irving, and if it’s enough. To some degree, the situation is out of their hands, as Brooklyn could ultimately decide to keep Irving and alter the Lakers’ fate.
But this is the exact reason the Lakers have waited to make a big splash on the trade market. Their patience could be rewarded with the third superstar they’ve long coveted.
This is the reason the Los Angeles Lakers have been holding onto their future draft picks while 38-year-old LeBron James kept starring for a sub-.500 team.
When the Lakers decided to not include their two remaining tradeable first-round picks in a potential deal involving Pacers role players Myles Turner and Buddy Hield earlier in the season, or conceding one of their first-round picks in a smaller deal during the season, it was because they were optimistic a superstar that would merit their inclusion would become available before the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
That opportunity popped up on Friday afternoon when Brooklyn Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving requested a trade, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The Lakers have interest in acquiring Irving, according to multiple league sources who were granted anonymity to speak freely on the subject. The framework of a potential deal would be Russell Westbrook and the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 first-round picks — with the Lakers pushing to add lottery protection to at least one of them — in exchange for Irving and another Nets role player (likely Joe Harris), according to those sources. Depending on how the Nets value the Lakers’ picks and what happens with Kevin Durant in the wake of this news, the Lakers could reroute one of their picks to a third team, who would then send additional players to Brooklyn to help the Nets remain competitive.
The situation remains fluid. The going cost to get a team to take on Westbrook and his $47.1 million salary has been one first-round pick at a minimum since last summer. But given Irving’s on-court pedigree and play this season, the Lakers would almost certainly have to include both first-round picks. Protecting one of those picks could result in the Nets asking for the Lakers to perhaps include Austin Reaves or Max Christie, two of the Lakers’ promising young role players. But the Lakers aren’t interested in including either in a potential package, according to those sources.
The Lakers aren’t the only team expected to pursue Irving. As Charania reported, the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks are also interested. Both teams could theoretically offer better win-now packages, depending on which players they’re willing to include.
The Lakers have a finite number of assets they can trade. They cannot deal any first-round draft picks until 2027 due to prior trades for Davis and Westbrook. They could technically include a pick swap in 2028, making it essentially three first-round picks, if they so choose. That may not be enough to top another trade package out there from another team, though Irving could potentially steer the market by suggesting he’ll only extend or re-sign in certain markets, like Los Angeles.
If the Lakers cannot find a third team, they may need to take back more salary in addition to swapping Westbrook and the picks for Irving. Only four Nets players are making between $8 and $20 million this year: Joe Harris ($18.7 million), Royce O’Neale ($9.5 million), Nic Claxton ($8.5 million) and Seth Curry ($8.5 million). The Lakers have interest in any of those, but Harris is the one the Nets will most likely want to trade given his contract (he is under contract for $19.9 million in the 2023-24 season) and injury history.
This is similar to the framework of an Irving trade the two teams discussed over the summer after Durant demanded out. But the Nets and Durant were able to work things out after his public request, which ultimately led to the Nets keeping Irving too. It’s possible Irving also rescinds his request or the Nets work out a deal with him, if only to appease Durant, at a minimum. The Nets could also call Irving’s bluff and keep him through the end of the season, daring him to sit out games and/or lose more money.
The Lakers could potentially wait to sign Irving as a free agent this summer. But their trade for Rui Hachimura, a pending restricted free agent they hope to re-sign as well, signaled that they aren’t necessarily interested in operating as a team with significant cap space this offseason. Acquiring Irving now means getting his Bird rights, which would allow them to extend or re-sign him no matter their cap situation. As of now, it’s unclear if the Lakers would be willing to offer the four-year extension that Irving is seeking.
James seemed to co-sign the Lakers’ trading for Irving with a cryptic tweet.
James wanted the Lakers to acquire Irving over the summer, as The Athletic reported at the time. He has since made it clear throughout the season that he’d like additional help, most notably in a recent conversation with The Athletic’s Sam Amick.
It’s also worth noting that Magic Johnson also tweeted his approval for trading for Irving. The Lakers legend remains close with Jeanie Buss and is still advising the organization on personnel moves despite abruptly resigning as the franchise’s president of basketball operations in 2019.
While Westbrook has played better this season, the Lakers’ use of $47 million on a bench player isn’t ideal. There is still concern about Westbrook’s viability in playoff-type settings and when closing games, especially since the roster’s perimeter shooting shortage compounds his weaknesses. The Lakers have been open to keeping Westbrook if a viable alternative didn’t present itself.
The possibility of acquiring Irving clearly meets the criteria of a viable alternative. Irving is a far better player and fit on the Lakers’ roster. He can play on and off the ball, already knows how to play with James from their time in Cleveland and showed in Brooklyn that he’s fine deferring to superstars like Durant and (briefly) James Harden. As they do with Westbrook, the Lakers could also stagger James and Irving’s minutes, to an extent, with Irving running certain bench units alongside Davis.
Remember: The reason the Lakers traded Danny Green for Dennis Schröder in 2020 – and acquired Westbrook in 2021 in the first place – was because they wanted to put an elite ball handler next to James who could alleviate his offensive workload. Neither move has panned out, though Schröder has been solid in his second go-round with the Lakers. But Irving is the caliber of player who would check all of those boxes.
Irving’s perimeter shooting would provide the biggest boost to the offense. Teams have to defend him at the 3-point line — and, frankly, anywhere beyond 12 feet, which is the zone they begin to ignore Westbrook. The gap between the two is large. Irving is an All-Star starter. Flipping Westbrook and future picks for him is a no-brainer from a basketball perspective.
Irving certainly comes with obvious concerns. He was suspended in November by the Nets for a minimum of five games without pay after he posted a link to a documentary promoting anti-Semitic views on his social media accounts, then repeatedly refused to apologize for doing so. (He ended up missing eight games.) There are Laker fans that will never accept Irving because of what he did. Los Angeles has the second-largest Jewish population in the country behind New York, so the Lakers would risk turning off part of their fan base by trading for him. Nike notably severed ties with Irving despite him being one of the most popular NBA athletes.
(For what it’s worth, the Lakers recently worked out Meyers Leonard, who is trying to make his comeback to the NBA after making an anti-Semitic remark while streaming on Twitch in 2021).
There is also Irving’s troubling track record of wanting out of every team he’s played for: Cleveland, Boston and now Brooklyn twice. He has a flair for the dramatic. When he leaves a situation, there is often chaos.
Still, adding Irving gives the Lakers a legitimate Big Three of James, Davis and Irving. Depending on one’s view of Irving, the Lakers could arguably have three top-15 players on its roster. Irving is 30 years old. He can phase into the next era of Lakers basketball with Davis, forming an All-NBA star duo for the next several years. Plus, Harris is more than just a throw-in. He’s the type of defense-bending shooter the Lakers desperately need; he and Irving would immediately become the Lakers’ two best shooters.
Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said that any trade involving the picks would have to make the Lakers “front runners” in the title race. It’s unclear if acquiring Irving vaults the Lakers into that stratosphere — especially considering they’re 12th in the West and not even in the Play-In tournament currently — but it’s about as close as the Lakers will get this winter and certainly gives them a chance in any Western Conference series.
James-Davis-Irving would be the best trio in the league, and while the Lakers’ supporting cast obviously has certain limitations and glaring holes, a group of Harris, Hachimura, Reaves, Schröder, Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown Jr., Lonnie Walker IV and Patrick Beverley is solid enough that the Lakers can piece together a useful rotation. (Beverley and Walker IV could also be included in an Irving package or a separate deal to further upgrade the rotation, league sources tell The Athletic.)
It took several months, but the Irving to the Lakers talks are back on. Los Angeles has less than a week to determine how much they’re willing to give up for Irving, and if it’s enough. To some degree, the situation is out of their hands, as Brooklyn could ultimately decide to keep Irving and alter the Lakers’ fate.
But this is the exact reason the Lakers have waited to make a big splash on the trade market. Their patience could be rewarded with the third superstar they’ve long coveted.
