The Los Angeles Lakers are a team that disappointed this year. Missing the play-in tournament was clearly not the expectation at the start of the season, as many thought that a team with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook would end up as a championship contender.
As a result of their disastrous season, the Los Angeles Lakers have been linked with many trades that could potentially improve the roster. The most notable trade that was suggested was the exchange of Russell Westbrook and draft compensation in exchange for Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving.
It was recently reported by Jovan Buha of The Athletic that Lakers superstar LeBron James has been “privately adamant” about the team’s “need to improve the roster” and make a move for Kyrie Irving.
The primary complication in James’ decision was that he has been privately adamant that the Lakers still need to improve the current roster and trade for superstar point guard Kyrie Irving, league sources have told The Athletic.
Kyrie Irving and LeBron James notably won a championship together during the 2016 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They are a good fit together, as Kyrie Irving is an elite shooter, shot creator, and off-ball player. NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski has stated that the Los Angeles Lakers are willing to give up both their available future first-round picks to acquire Kyrie Irving, but the problem is that the Brooklyn Nets are not interested in that offer. It remains to be seen if the Brooklyn Nets end up changing their mind on this topic in the future.
There are definitely other good trades out there for the Los Angeles Lakers, and we’ll see what moves they execute if they are unable to trade for Kyrie Irving. Their roster is already looking better than last season’s and hopefully, we see the team get back to the playoffs.
