Kevin Durant‘s trade request increases the chances of a Kyrie Irving trade to the Lakers, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic report. A source told the Athletic that the chances of the Lakers landing Durant in a deal involving Davis is “zero.” Their focus, apparently, is on Irving.
“Kyrie Irving is telling everyone he plans go to LA, meaning the Lakers, as soon as he possibly can,” Stephen A. Smith said. “The likelihood is he’ll have to go through this season and then when he becomes a free agent after this season is over he plans on rejoining LeBron James in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. They’ll have about $70-80 million under the cap. They’ll use it on Kyrie Irving — or so he believes.”
Brian Windhorst added that Irving is doing whatever he can to force himself to the Lakers.
“Kyrie Irving is out of town as fast as he possibly can and he is focused, as Stephen A. said, on forcing himself to the Lakers,” Windhorst said. “In talking to league executives over the last couple of hours, the value of Kyrie Irving in a trade has absolutely plummeted. They know he’s going to be a pure rental. If he doesn’t want to go to the situation he is [traded] to, it’s unclear what he’ll do. As Stephen A. has said many times, he hasn’t even been motivated to play in places he’s wanted to play, let alone ones he doesn’t.”
There is also a rumored deal already in place.
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Irving would be a better fit for LeBron James and Anthony Davis than Westbrook, providing better spacing offensively because he can actually shoot the basketball.
If the Nets don’t want Westbrook’s salary, a third team could take that contract, with one of the Lakers’ picks and potentially a current player on the roster being involved.
The seven-time All-Star averaged 27.4 points and 5.8 assists this past season for the Nets, with whom he has spent the last three seasons.
