The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t willing to trade Austin Reaves or Max Christie as part of their trade deal for Kyrie Irving.
Irving shocked the NBA circuit by asking for a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, and the Lakers are looked at as one of the potential suitors. But they reportedly have their offerings on the table, and it doesn’t include Reaves or Christie.
Per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, who laid out the trade framework between the two teams, the Purple and Gold aren’t considering adding the forward and the rookie — both of whom have been looked at as promising future prospects for the Lakers.
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.
Reaves has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, but his defensive prowess and his ability to knock down buckets in crunch situations make him an asset for the Lakers. Christie has looked impressive coming off the bench. His 3.8 points and 0.5 assists may not look like much, but he has made an impact on the Lakers’ players and think tank.
The Lakers Might Have To Do Away With Their Future Picks As Part Of The Kyrie Irving Deal
Buha also placed emphasis on the future picks that the Lakers would need to trade if they intend to have Kyrie Irving suit up for them.
In his column discussing the possible ways the Lakers could land Irving, the insider opined that their primary deal would revolve around Russell Westbrook and the two picks.
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.
The Lakers aren’t the only team interested in Irving. Should they fail to work a deal with the Nets, chances are that the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns might land the 30-year-old.
But it does appear that the Lakers have a plan, and it doesn’t involve shipping the two players who will be their key parts in the seasons to come.
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