Things just got even more interesting ahead of the Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline as Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has requested a trade.
The report came as a bit of a surprise considering the Nets have been playing well this season. Irving reportedly wanted a max extension though, while the Nets wanted to put stipulations on it which led to him asking out.
To no surprise, the Lakers are one of the teams already expressing interest in Irving, trying to upgrade from Russell Westbrook as the team’s third star along with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
James was advocating for the Lakers to trade for Irving last summer, so it’s reasonable to believe he would still be in favor of it. LeBron added to the intrigue of Friday’s events by tweeting out an eyeball emoji after the report of Irving’s trade request came out:
👀👑
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 3, 2023
Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy, who coached by James and Irving with the Cleveland Cavaliers and remains very close with both, tweeted out eyeball emojis of his own before later deleting it:
Lakers assistant coach, Phil Handy just deleted this reply to LeBron regarding the Kyrie trade rumors: https://t.co/7Ve2CDSOP5 pic.twitter.com/DsNZscpPgK
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) February 3, 2023
This is obviously a very weird situation considering no trade has been agreed upon as of yet. Other teams like the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns could also have interest, so it’s no sure thing that Irving ends up in L.A. even if that’s what James and Handy want.
If the Lakers don’t wind up getting Irving and cannot find a trade for Westbrook, then the rest of the season could be very awkward for L.A. At this point though, James has made what he wants clear, and it will be up to Rob Pelinka and the front office to find a deal that works whether it be just with the Nets or adding a third team to the mix.
Lakers have spoken with Jazz about Westbrook trade
Before news of Irving requesting a trade came out, it was reported that the Lakers have had talks with the Utah Jazz regarding a Westbrook trade.
Utah could be the third team willing to facilitate a deal as Danny Ainge wants to go through a full rebuild. If incentivized with draft picks, then the Jazz could be the best option to take on Westbrook while sending some of their veterans back to either L.A. or Brooklyn.
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