One of the biggest storylines of this 2022-23 NBA season has been whether the Los Angeles Lakers can make that blockbuster trade to turn them into a proper contender. GM Rob Pelinka had stated that if a championship move presented itself, then the Lakers would be willing to part with their precious draft picks to get it over the line.
Well, one such move is now out there, after Kyrie Irving requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. The Lakers were one of the first teams linked with Irving but they have some concerns about trading for him.
The Lakers are hesitant about giving him a $200 million extension in the summer, just as any other team would be. Still, trading for Irving does look like the only big move available, and when LeBron James was asked, in relation to Pelinka’s prior remarks, if Kyrie was the kind of player who can help them win a championship, he kept it real.
(starts at 1:02 mark):
“That’s a Rob question, you got to see him when y’all get back to L.A. Told you a couple of weeks (back) I don’t speak for our front office, and my mindset, whatever lineup or whatever group that we have, is to make sure that we prepare ourselves the best way we can and go out win. Obviously, the words you used, (it’s) a duh question when you talk about a player like that.”
The answer really was quite obvious there. With Kyrie, the Lakers would get a formidable big 3 of him, LeBron, and Anthony Davis, which would match up well with anyone in the league. James would clearly want the team to make that move, but it remains to be seen if the Lakers will pull the trigger.
The Brooklyn Nets Are Determined To Trade Kyrie Irving
The Nets had Kevin Durant hand in a trade request last year but they never really wanted to trade KD and ended up convincing him to stay. That is not the case here, as Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Nets are determined to trade Kyrie before the deadline.
They don’t want to keep a player who has made it clear he would leave in the summer, so the move is clearly there to be made if the Lakers want to get it done. There is risk involved though, considering Kyrie’s history but the reward is potentially winning that 18th title.
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