Report: Kyrie Irving isn’t part of the Lakers’ long-term plans

By Jonathan Sherman
Updated: October 3, 2022

For the first half of the 2022 NBA offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers seemed zeroed in on adding star point guard Kyrie Irving to the roster.

The Lakers seemed in the mix before Irving picked up his player option with the Brooklyn Nets. After he did end up picking up his option, rumors swirled that the Lakers were trying to acquire the star via trade.

When that too did not materialize, rumors finally started bubbling up that the Lakers were planning to heavily target Irving next summer when he is scheduled to become a free agent.

Despite all that, a recent rumor has now indicated that the Lakers are actually not that interested in Irving and do not have him factored into their long-term plans.

“As for the prospect of adding Irving via free agency next summer, sources say he’s currently not a part of the Lakers’ long-term plans,” Shams Charania, Sam Amick and Jovan Buha reported for The Athletic.

The simple truth is that all rumors regarding Irving and the Lakers are going to have to be taken with a grain of salt for many months to come. Depending on how things go for both the Lakers and Nets in the upcoming season, stories regarding all of the involved parties could change a dozen times or more.

After all, Irving does not seem thrilled with the Nets organization, and he does have a rather long history with Lakers star LeBron James. With that in mind, when Irving requested a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier in his career, James was believed to be a prime reason why Irving wanted off the team.

Drama seems to follow Irving wherever he goes, and that is surely a big reason why this story has gained so much traction over the last few months.

Lakers fans are all too familiar with rumors regarding star players and their supposed futures in L.A. While the Lakers definitely have been a magnet for stars through the years, the franchise has been an even larger magnet for endless rumors that sell clicks.

At the moment, the Lakers are likely far more focused on trying to create a winning team out of the players currently on the roster.