In the aftermath of a nightmarish campaign, it’s no mystery why the Lakers (and their fans) are desperate to say goodbye to Russell Westbrook, who looked like a poor fit from the jump.
Right now, L.A.’s primary means of trading Russ came in the form of a swap with Brooklyn star guard Kyrie Irving, who named the Lakers as his desired landing spot.
Right away, Rob Pelinka went after Irving with hopes of striking a deal sometime before training camp. No deal has yet materialized, and one NBA insider says the Lakers may just be better off waiting on Irving to become a free agent in the summer of 2023.
Irving was only available post opt-in because of Durant’s subsequent trade request, but Durant softening his stance and staying in Brooklyn puts the Nets firmly in win-now mode. There are few, if any, realistic Irving trades that maintain or improve the Nets’ title odds. Acquiring Westbrook is not among them. Neither is including a third team to take on Westbrook and send the Nets other pieces.
For what it’s worth, Irving was absent from the Nets contingent that visited Durant in Los Angeles. There has also been no additional statement or reporting clarifying his place in all of this. The assumption around the league is that the Nets will retain him, but it’s unclear if he and Durant are still a package deal, as they have been since signing in Brooklyn in 2019. They’ve largely operated with separate motivations this summer.
Regardless, the Lakers should move on and wait to pursue Irving when he becomes a free agent next summer. With LeBron James’ recent extension, the Lakers are on the clock. They no longer may be able to replace Westbrook with a third star like Irving (though, again, the Nets situation remains volatile based on how the past two months have gone), but there are still multiple paths to building a better team next season.
In a perfect world, the Lakers would swap Russ for Kyrie and welcome back a fully healthy Anthony Davis next season. Sadly, it looks like that won’t be the case.
For now, at least, the Lakers are going to have to try and work things out with Russ. If it doesn’t work this season, he can leave next summer, and Rob Pelinka can get Kyrie without giving up any additional assets.
But with LeBron’s age becoming an increasing concern, it will be up to the Lakers to decide just how much they want to give up to not waste another year of James’ productive years.
