After the Indiana Pacers made it clear that they would start the season with Myles Turner, the last of the Lakers’ trading hopes seemed to be dashed. The organization had spent quite a bit of time trying to find a way to acquire more talent for their roster, but none of the reported trades for stars worked out. The Lakers did acquire Patrick Beverley and then signed Dennis Schroder, but neither of those can be described as truly game-changing moves.
And that’s doubly so when comparing them to the names the team was linked with during the offseason. It seemed like Kyrie Irving would end up on the team sooner rather than later, but the Nets managed to get their house in order. Then Donovan Mitchell was available, with Danny Ainge reportedly coveting the Lakers’ picks, but they didn’t have the assets the Cavaliers gave to make the trade happen.
Lastly, it didn’t seem like they wanted to part with two first-round picks to get Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, so that put paid to that potential deal. However, their decision to not trade away their picks seemingly only had to do with the players they were getting in return. Reportedly, they would have done it for the right deal.
Los Angeles Lakers Would Have Reportedly Parted With Their 2027 and 2029 Picks To Land Kyrie Irving Or Donovan Mitchell
The two first-round picks at the Lakers’ disposal have been discussed quite a bit. They are mostly considered to be ways the team can move Russell Westbrook on and get off of his contract. However, with them having an aging roster, those picks do have value. And ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said on the Hoop Collective podcast that they would have traded those for Kyrie Irving or Donovan Mitchell.
The Lakers were prepared to include their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in a deal for Kyrie Irving or Donovan Mitchell, per @mcten on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective Podcast pic.twitter.com/77FKVu9xlh
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 27, 2022
“The Lakers were prepared to include their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in a deal for Kyrie Irving or Donovan Mitchell, per @mcten on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective Podcast.”
Rob Pelinka has spoken about doing what it takes to build the best team possible around LeBron James and adding either of those star guards would have certainly helped with that. Just 2 picks are not enough to get a deal done for Mitchell, and while Kyrie might have been the answer, he decided to stay with the Nets. But it does show that the Lakers aren’t all talk, they will make the moves they must if it will significantly improve them.
