Russell Westbrook has been a buzzword for the Los Angeles Lakers this season as the front office continues to struggle to find a willing business partner.
Of course, Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets — two other Lakers offseason buzzwords projected to be the Lakers’ best chance at a deal — assuming the two teams can agree on the terms of a trade agreement. At present, it appears negotiations have stalled, leaving Westbrook and his family in limbo, with the start of training camp slowly looming on the horizon.
Still, according to an NBA Insider who spoke with Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus for a July 28 article, there is a way for Los Angeles to break the deadlock and convince Sean Marks to sign a deal.
“Kyrie is the movement. They should offer Davis with Westbrook. Try to get Kevin Durant. KD for AD and a choice is as close as [the Nets] will get what they want,” the insider told Pincus for his post.
Of course, adding Anthony Davis to any potential trade talks will always make the other team more receptive, but whether or not Brooklyn would be willing to send both Irving and Kevin Durant to the Lakers is another question altogether.
This trade has already been offered
A blockbuster trade between the Lakers and the Nets has been proposed before, but not by anyone with an inside connection to the ongoing trade negotiations. In fact, the last time Westbrook and Davis’ notion of Irving and LeBron was postulated came from SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell on July 26.
The trade itself makes perfect sense for both parties – the Nets are removing two stars who clearly see their future away from the franchise, while the Lakers are ending their relationship with Westbrook and admitting that Davis is not the heir apparent to LeBron James after all.
Of course, the exchanges are not done on paper, and what makes sense for us, may not be what makes sense for a front office or a management staff – because they must take into account roster suitability, personality clashes, and availability, to name a few. As such, it is highly unlikely that we will see this trade materialize, if only for any other reason than it simply makes too much sense.
Irving will likely stay in Brooklyn
During a July 25 appearance on the Pat McAfee showShams Charania of The Athletic reported that Kyrie Irving has agreed he will likely stay in Brooklyn for the final year of his contract.
“Kyrie Irving has opted for the full intention of playing next season as the Brooklyn Net. From everything I’ve been told, in his head he’s playing next year in Brooklyn – with or without Kevin Durant. Irving chose to participate, it was understood that he was going to make the best decision for himself, and Durant would make his decision as well. From everything I’ve been told, Kyrie Irving has made his intentions, he wants to play next season in Brooklyn and be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Charania said on July 25.
If Irving has truly accepted that he won’t be moving teams until next season, and the Nets are content to try to convince him to sign a new contract this summer while risking losing him for nothing, the Lakers will have to rotate their attentions. elsewhere – and that could mean accepting that Westbrook will be their starting point guard again next season.
Heavier on the Lakers News
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