The Kyrie Irving saga continues to rage on in Brooklyn, with the Nets and the star point guard at an impasse over his next contract. Irving’s erratic behavior and his availability issues have tanked his value in the eyes of the franchise, and he is reportedly leveraging a potential move away to try and get a deal he finds suitable.
However, in recent days, reports have also suggested that the prospect of Irving leaving the Nets has grown more and more plausible. This has raised some questions about where he would land should he decide to leave, and despite several franchises being named, the Lakers have emerged as possibly the main destination for Irving.
Sam Amick of The Athletic recently spoke about the likelihood that Kyrie goes to the Lakers, who have a ‘real interest’ in him, and he suggested that the rumors have some truth to them.
Kyrie Irving to the Lakers chatter is "somewhat substantive," according to @sam_amick.
"You've got people within the league actually thinking … 'Man, I think he might find a way to get back with LeBron.'" pic.twitter.com/ZTNyf2SAjq
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) June 24, 2022
“The Lakers noise, again, really tough to pull off, but it’s somewhat substantive there. You’ve got people within the league actually thinking like, ‘Man, I think he might find a way to get back with LeBron,’ and I do get the sense that LeBron would open that door, and we’ll see if they can pull it off.”
Irving last enjoyed real and consistent success in the league when he was playing alongside LeBron James, so it’s easy to understand why the Lakers feel like they can make it work with Kyrie if they do manage to land him. It would be a very difficult feat to pull off, considering their roster situation and what the Nets will want for him, but stranger moves have happened.
Kyrie potentially departing raises questions about Kevin Durant and what he might do if, indeed, the Nets lose the man that he chose to team up with after leaving the Golden State Warriors. Things are very uncertain in Brooklyn at the moment, and only time will tell how things pan out for the franchise, and it’s stars moving forward.
