The Los Angeles Lakers need a hail-mary to change the outlook of their roster ahead of the 2022-23 season. After a strategy of bringing in rotational veterans every season around the core of LeBron James and Anthony Davis failed the last 2 seasons, the Lakers have found themselves without future assets to keep improving the team.
The saga that started with Kyrie Irving not signing a contract extension with the Brooklyn Nets and has resulted in Kevin Durant also requesting a trade from the team may leave the Lakers in an ideal situation to suddenly improve their fortunes.
If the Nets move Durant sometime this season, they have no reason to also keep the expiring contract of Kyrie till the end of the season. With the Lakers’ profound interest in Irving, both player and team are at the mercy of the Brooklyn Nets. As it seems likely that Irving may finish his Nets contract out for another season with KD, who hasn’t been moved yet, the Lakers are far more interested in getting Kyrie out of Brooklyn than Kyrie is in leaving Brooklyn, according To Brandon Robinson.
Kyrie Irving becoming a Laker is still "a Lakers desire more than an Irving desire currently" I'm told.
— đź‘‘ Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) August 4, 2022
The Lakers would be fools to not be excited over the possible acquisition of Irving based on how he performs on the court when he does get on it.
The leadership of LeBron James on the court that’s resulted in success for Kyrie before, and coaches like Darvin Ham and Phil Handy on the bench provide more voices that Irving is likely to respect and listen to.
If the Lakers can turn Russell Westbrook into Kyrie Irving, they look a lot better automatically due to the offensive versatility they gain with a good shooter and isolation scorer in Kyrie. If this truly is a Lakers dream, they will do anything they can to make sure Kyrie is wearing the purple and gold of the franchise in the 2022-23 season.
