The Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers are making progress on a trade that would swap Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook, according to Chris Haynes. Other pieces should be involved, but there is “tangible optimism” that the two sides can figure out a deal this summer.
Irving recently signed the last year of his deal worth $ 36.4 million, but is expected to be traded after his star teammate Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Nets. “If Kevin Durant is on the first train out, Kyrie Irving will be on the move as far as the Nets are concerned,” Brian Windhorst reported earlier this week.
After a season in which he played only 29 games because he refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and given his previous injury history – Irving has not played 70 games in a season since 2017 when he was still with the Cleveland Cavaliers – The market for mercurial guard is understandably not as robust as the market for Durant.
However, the Lakers have very little to lose. Irving represents their best chance to add talent this summer, and he has a past relationship with LeBron James. Both players will strike free next season and the Lakers are trying to squeeze another title out of the LeBron and Anthony Davis pair. Irving has his fair share of negatives, but on the pitch he would fit much better than Westbrook and would increase the Lakers’ title odds significantly.
Of course, trading with Westbrook is much easier said than done; The Lakers have been trying to do that since the middle of last season, just months after they originally bought him. He recently joined the final year of his contract, which is worth $ 47 million, making trading difficult from a logistical perspective. Plus, there is the fact that he is well above his best age but still needs the ball in his hands most of the time to be effective at all.
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