The Los Angeles Lakers are on the verge of getting eliminated from the 2023 NBA Playoffs, and the front office must be getting ready to face a challenging offseason that could land them some big names.
Ever since last year, the Kyrie Irving rumors have surrounded the Lakers, and they have tried to link up with the player, but the Brooklyn Nets never agreed to it. Now, they could not only bring Kyrie in but keep Austin Reaves beyond this season.
“I could just see Kyrie ready to come and the feel on like, ‘Look, we just got to the Conference Finals, imagine if we replace Russell with Kyrie?’ The Lakers have fallen for this before,” Brian Windhorst said on The Hoops Collective. “The way this is ending, I think it’s increasing the chance of it happening.”
Windhorst adds that it won’t have as smoothly as the Lakers would wish, but they can reach a point where both Kyrie Irving and Austin Reaves are part of the roster.
“It would take a little bit of maneuvering, and Kyrie [Irving] would probably have to not take the max, or [the Lakers] would have to work on something with Dallas, but they can get there,” Windhorst said. “They can keep [Austin] Reeves and get Kyrie.”
Brian Windhorst on "The Hoop Collective" podcast discussing Mavericks' impending free agent Kyrie Irving as a Lakers target:
"It would take a little bit of maneuvering, and Kyrie [Irving] would probably have to not take the max, or [the Lakers] would have to work on something… pic.twitter.com/hXRiko5FgC
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) May 21, 2023
This is an exciting possibility for the Lakers, who already showed they can compete with their current roster. Adding Kyrie Irving to the mix would be great for them, and keeping Reaves, who is considered a future star in the league, would put them in a great position for next season.
It won’t be easy, as Windhorst says, but the Lakers can work their magic to bring in two players that can take their game to the next level for many years.
Lakers Will Have A Very Entertaining Offseason
Still, this isn’t the final word on this situation. Contradicting rumors have surfaced over the past couple of months, with some saying they are favoring keeping D’Angelo Russell over pursuing Kyrie, and others suggest that Kyrie is their top target.
D’Lo has mightily struggled during the Western Conference Finals, and the fans aren’t happy with that situation. Perhaps letting him go and focusing on bringing Kyrie would be better for the Lakers, but the front office has the final say on this.
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