Kyrie Irving moving to the Lakers is something that has been spoken about incessantly before and ever since he opted into the final year of his contract. While there was an initial feeling that Irving signing on would mean that the Brooklyn Nets would run it back one more time, Kevin Durant’s trade request changed all that, with both superstars now expected to be dealt by the Nets.
And while Durant will command a king’s ransom from any team that wants to have him on their roster, all the rumors surrounding Irving seem to be pointing towards a swap that would involve Russell Westbrook and some other players. Westbrook also opted into the final year of his deal, but his salary is bigger than Kyrie’s, and as such, the latest reports say that the Nets might want to include Joe Harris in the deal (via NetsDaily).
“According to reports, the Nets are willing to deal Irving to L.A. — his preferred landing spot — as long as it doesn’t add to Brooklyn’s financial commitments next season. A deal that included Harris would decrease the Nets’ payroll by roughly $8 million.
“Of course, including Harris, a fan favorite and the Net with the most time in black-and-white, would indicate the Nets are in a deep rebuild, cutting salary — and luxury taxes — while also building up its stock of draft picks. The Nets have made it clear that any package for Kevin Durant would have to include multiple picks.”
Harris is a sharpshooter and one that would be of huge help to the Lakers, but they perhaps don’t want to take on his massive deal. In any case, the idea that they might be able to turn Westbrook into Irving and Harris or Seth Curry is insane to think about, and Brooklyn’s implosion might stand to benefit the Lakers more than any other team in the league barring the Houston Rockets.
