After another abysmal season in Los Angeles, the Lakers are working hard to flip the script and build a contending roster for the future.
As luck would have it, Kyrie Irving’s antics have compromised his stay in Brooklyn, and he has named the Lakers as his preferred landing spot.
So far, a deal for Irving has yet to be struck, and nobody knows when (or if) it will happen. But in an update on the situation, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin revealed that the Purple and Gold haven’t given up hope of their Irving pursuit and will only resort to getting Buddy Hield or Eric Gordon if they know that the door of a potential deal with the Nets is closed.
“We’ve heard Darvin Ham say it, we’ve heard Rob Pelinka say it. This team is still lacking shooting to be a top-tier contender in the Western Conference,” said McMenamin. “The problem is, right now, they have 13 roster spots filled and there’s two spots open. But all the shooters on the market when it comes to free agency, they’re not on a team for a reason, because they do one thing really well but they don’t necessarily defend well enough to get minutes. So they had to look to the trade market, to Eric Gordon and Buddy Hield. The Lakers have an interest in finding a trade package for both of them but I am of the opinion that they will not pull the trigger on a deal for Eric Gordon or Buddy Hield until they know absolutely for sure that a Kyrie trade will not happen.”
The Lakers will not pull the trigger on a deal for Eric Gordon or Buddy Hield until they know absolutely for sure that a Kyrie trade will not happen.
(via @mcten)pic.twitter.com/s6ae1ILlMR
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 22, 2022
One thing is for sure: the Lakers have to do something. If they stand pat and wait for much longer, they might lose out on opportunities to improve. Putting out the same roster as last year will likely lead to the same results.
But for Rob Pelinka and the front office, the first priority is bringing Kyrie Irving to town. A swap with him and Westbrook would solve a lot of problems.
