The Los Angeles Lakers have long been identified as the only team making a legitimate push for star guard Kyrie Irving.
On Monday, NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports also revealed the Clippers as a dark horse team in the Kyrie sweepstakes, which could see a partnership between Irving, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George.
(h/t Heavy):
“The Lakers make sense, but so do the Los Angeles Clippers, particularly because Kyrie Irving’s relationship with Ty Lue wasn’t as soured as I’ve learned from sources close to Irving. He and Ty Lue have repaired that relationship,” Robinson said. “He won a championship with Ty Lue and LeBron James. It’s a new chapter. But from everyone that I’ve spoken to, the Lakers situation is either the Lakers are not matching what the Nets want, or the Lakers want Kyrie more than the Nets want to give them up.”
Of course, the Clippers signed another All-Star guard not too long ago. As a multiple-time All-Star, John Wall is a guy who can put the Clippers over the top. It would also be a questionable fit to pair him with Kyrie Irving.
But Irving would be a significant upgrade to Wall, and the Clippers are one of the six teams identified as one of Kyrie’s preferred adding spots.
If Kyrie Irving can’t reach an agreement to stay with Brooklyn, he has a list of teams he’d like them to consider on sign-and-trades, including Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, Heat, Mavs and 76ers. None of those teams have cap space to sign him without Nets’ help.
Right now, the Lakers are the front runners for Kyrie and that much is not doubted. But the Lakers would have to include Westbrook in any deal for Irving, and that’s not an arrangement that Brooklyn finds favorable at this time.
If the price for Kyrie is really as low as it seems, it would be crazy for the Clips not to at least consider trading for him — even if it means moving on from Wall. We will see soon enough how it all plays out in the end.
