The Kyrie Irving trade saga has been dragging on for a very long time. But amidst this chaos, many have forgotten the fact that Kyrie never really requested for a trade following his decision to opt into his $37 million player option. It was Kevin Durant who asked for a trade.
Many assumed that Kyrie would also be traded due to the fact that the Nets might go into rebuilding phase straight away. But according to NBA Insider Brian Lewis, Kyrie is ready to play for the Brooklyn Nets with or without KD. This is an interesting turn of events as most are already hoping to see Kyrie with a new team.
Moreover, as per recent rumors, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be the destination to which he gets traded. He will have a chance to reunite with LeBron James and seriously have a shot at winning an NBA Championship as well.
Regardless of recent rumors about Irving never even asking for a trade, NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins says Kyrie to the Lakers makes the most sense. He gave various reasons for it in a recent video, one of them being Kyrie previously was on his best behavior when he played alongside LeBron James during his stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"The Lakers are the only team that's better off with Kyrie Irving."
—@KendrickPerkins 😳 pic.twitter.com/cpuBOQjAGD
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 12, 2022
“The Lakers are the only team that’s better off with Kyrie. When you look at Kyrie Irving record with LeBron James in the postseason when they was in Cleveland, 39 and 13.
When you talk about Kyrie Irving playing elite level basketball consistently, sowing up to work, it was alongside LeBron James. I think that’s the only team that will be willing to accept Kyrie Irving.”
All the points that Perkins made were valid up to some extent. However, that will mean nothing if Irving himself isn’t committed to playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Nets fans are well aware of how big of a problem can Kyrie be when he gets stubborn about something. Considering the fact that he has only a year left on his deal, he could decide to force his way out of the Lakers even after getting traded there.
But a positive thing for the Lakers is the presence of LeBron James on the roster. James is someone who has previously played with Kyrie and in fact brought the best out of him. So the Lakers’ best bet would be to rely on LeBron to handle the talks with Kyrie behind the screen.
