The Los Angeles Lakers lost out on acquiring Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets. Here’s what the Lakers reportedly would’ve had to give up to bring in Irving.
On Friday, a bombshell report dropped that All-Star guard Kyrie Irving requested a trade off of the Brooklyn Nets. In the passing hours, it became known that the Los Angeles Lakers were among the teams most interested in acquiring Irving. After all, they did try to trade for him last offseason in an effort to reunite him with LeBron James.
Well they, along with the Phoenix Suns, and LA Clippers, lost out on Irving.
On Sunday, the Nets traded Irving to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 unprotected first-round pick, and a second-round pick each in 2027 and 2029. Also going from Brooklyn to Dallas is Markieff Morris.
Once again, the Lakers lost out on acquiring Irving. So, what exactly did they offer the Nets?
What Nets wanted from Lakers for Kyrie Irving revealed
The Athletic’s Shams Charania (subscription required) detailed the Irving saga and how the Mavericks were able to acquire the guard to pair alongside star Luka Doncic. As it turns out, the Lakers were unable to meet Brooklyn’s asking price.
Charania notes that the Lakers offered guard Russell Westbrook and two first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 to the Nets in exchange for Irving. Brooklyn made a counteroffer to Los Angeles, asking for them to include both Austin Reaves and Max Christie in the deal, and to make some pick swaps. As the NBA world saw, the Nets liked the Mavericks’ offer much more than what the Lakers offered, and finalized a deal.
Now, it’s unknown where the Lakers will pivot to next. What is known is that they’ll have to pursue options relatively quickly, as the trade deadline takes place on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 3:00 p.m. ET. As of this writing, they sit in 13th place in the Western Conference with a 25-29 record, two games behind the Utah Jazz for the final play-in spot (No. 10 seed) and three games behind the Mavericks for the final playoff spot (No. 6 seed).
This season, Irving averaged 27.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 48.6-percent from the field and 37.4-percent from the three-point line. He was named a starter for the 2023 All-Star Game scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 19. Irving is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Once again, Los Angeles looked to make a big swing for Irving, but struck out.