Prior to the NBA trade deadline this season, the Los Angeles Lakers were active on the trade market, working the phones in an attempt to prevent a disaster that was already in progress.
They discussed trades involving Russell Westbrook, most notably one that would’ve sent him to the Houston Rockets for John Wall.
Now, a New York City media outlet has reported that the Purple and Gold at least considered trading for Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving a few months ago.
Via SportsNet New York:
“Several outlets, including SNY, reported that the Nets had been open to talking to teams about potential Irving trades during that time. Obviously, nothing came to fruition. But some members of the Lakers organization discussed the possibility of trading for Irving during that stretch of the season, sources say.
“The deal would have obviously reunited Irving with LeBron James. It’s unclear if the Lakers reached any internal consensus on Irving at the time.”
For much of this season, Irving wasn’t allowed to play in any NBA games in the five boroughs that make up New York City, as it had a COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the books.
At the time, some wondered whether the Nets could truly contend for the world championship with Irving, who has stubbornly refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine, as essentially a part-time player.
It is unknown who or what the Lakers would’ve had to surrender to make such a trade happen, although one would think that Westbrook would’ve been one of the pieces.
In a perfect world, an Irving-James reunion, with Anthony Davis manning the paint, would make the Lakers into the superteam they thought they would become when they acquired Westbrook last summer.
Irving can turn down the player option on his contract for next season and become a free agent this summer. He has said he doesn’t “plan on going anywhere,” but given his history of flakiness and questionable dedication, one can never be sure what he is planning on doing.
