Right now, the Lakers are reportedly somewhere in the midst of negotiations with the Brooklyn Nets to acquire star guard Kyrie Irving, presumably for Russell Westbrook.
Although there are signs that a deal may eventually happen, it is also very possible that the teams won’t come to an agreement and the Lakers will strike out on their only real way to become championship contenders again.
Irving may also represent LeBron James’ last real hope of winning his fifth ring as he gets closer to the twilight of his career.
There is increasing evidence that he may be pressuring Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka into getting an Irving deal done, no matter the price.
Some of that evidence is coming from ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst, who has closely covered James since his high school years in Akron, Ohio.
Windy speculates that LAL is playing hardball with with the Nets and that if this reaches August Lebron will use his looming extension to push LAL into getting Kyrie
— Parks (@dparks24) July 7, 2022
Windhorst went into a little more detail on ESPN’s “Get Up.”
“I can’t articulate how little LeBron cares about the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick. He could not care less about it. … He wants to win tonight and Kyrie Irving gives him a chance to win tonight. We are in a moment right now where teams are pushing back against player empowerment. … Now the Lakers are staring at this. Are they honestly going to push back on LeBron James if he’s sitting there with the pen ready to sign an extension making sure the Lakers remain highly relevant and a championship contender for the next two years?”
In some ways, James is right, as there is likely no other deal out there involving Westbrook that would bring L.A. back the requisite talent to rejoin the NBA’s elite.
At the same time, the team shouldn’t cave into every bit of the Nets’ demands, especially if it means severely handicapping their ability to rebuild once James is long gone.
Perhaps giving up two future first-round draft picks for a player as special as Irving would be acceptable compensation. Perhaps not.