On Tuesday, Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks issued a statement essentially saying that Kevin Durant will remain with the team weeks after requesting a trade.
That means the Los Angeles Lakers’ hopes and dreams of landing Kyrie Irving are pretty much dead.
Now, the team must shift its focus and efforts toward other potential deals that could make it a championship contender again.
With LeBron James about four months away from his 38th birthday, the Lakers desperately need to reduce his workload in terms of scoring, ball-handling and facilitating. That was apparently the thinking behind last summer’s Russell Westbrook trade.
It now appears L.A. is interested in Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell.
Via Lakers Daily:
“The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly are interested in Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell.”
The Lakers are interested in Donovan Mitchell, per @Gambo987 pic.twitter.com/GxBqpAQb6I
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) August 23, 2022
Mitchell would be quite a get for the Purple and Gold, and such a move would have the same magnitude as an Irving deal would’ve had.
He is a three-time All-Star who can score in an explosive fashion, as well as facilitate to a certain extent. Mitchell also has the habit of going off for big scoring outings during the playoffs.
The knock against him is that, at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, he is an undersized guard, which could hurt L.A. on the defensive end.
In the end, Jazz executive Danny Ainge is asking for the world in return for Mitchell. Given Ainge is a former Boston Celtic, he may be unwilling to help the Lakers to begin with.
