It looks like Kyrie Irving will get his wish after all, as the Nets and Lakers are working on a deal to send him to Los Angeles.
The Lakers are one of the only teams willing to take on Irving’s headache at this juncture, and for good reason. He held Brooklyn hostage to start this offseason, all because he didn’t feel backed by a franchise which paid him max money to play in half of their games.
Incredible to think about, isn’t it?
Irving is a tremendous talent, and he would no doubt be an upgrade over Russell Westbrook for Los Angeles. Brooklyn is trying to start over, especially after Kevin Durant asked out, as well.
Lakers can acquire Kyrie Irving from Nets under 1 condition
For Brooklyn, it’s simple — they will trade Kyrie to Los Angeles, as long as it doesn’t increase their financial commitment. What’s the point of trading away star talent if it doesn’t at least rid some of the financial strain?
To ensure this, the Nets want to include Joe Harris in any trade of Irving, something the Lakers aren’t thrilled with. However, given Los Angeles doesn’t have much to bargain with here, odds are they will end up taking Harris and any other increased salary Brooklyn throws their way assuming it follows league rules. Brooklyn would also take on Russell Westbrook in this scenario and buy him out shortly thereafter, starting over in the process.
Yahoo’s Chris Haynes wrote that there is ‘palpable optimism’ that a trade can be reached between the two sides this offseason, though who knows how long that will take. For now, Los Angeles is not the only potential trade destination, and the Nets don’t owe Irving anything after what he’s put them through.