With the Los Angeles Lakers trailing the Denver Nuggets 3-0 in the Western Conference Finals, the post-mortems have already begun.
Critics are saying the Lakers are in this situation because they lack shooting, size in the frontcourt, a reliable backup center or two or a combination thereof.
Another culprit has been the poor play of guard D’Angelo Russell, who performed well in the regular season after arriving in February’s Russell Westbrook trade but has been up and down in the playoffs. So far in the Denver series, he is shooting a combined 8-of-27 from the field and 2-of-14 from 3-point range, and he hasn’t scored more than 10 points in any of the three games played.
It has left some Lakers fans pining (once again) for perennial All-Star Kyrie Irving, and according to Brian Windhorst, Irving is “ready to come to the Lakers.”
In fact, the journalist says L.A. can acquire Irving in a sign-and-trade this summer while still keeping Austin Reaves, who will be a restricted free agent.
REPORT: The Lakers can get Kyrie and retain Austin Reaves this summer, via @WindhorstESPN.
“The way this series is ending the more likely it becomes… Kyrie is ready to come to the Lakers.” pic.twitter.com/nFCfCjWm8J
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 21, 2023
In all likelihood, getting Irving would mean gutting the team to a certain extent, and one would have to expect that Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Irving’s current team, would also demand substantial draft capital.
Then there is the matter of Irving’s enigmatic personality and off-the-court antics, which have led many to accuse him of being a team killer.