Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving is reportedly focused on forcing his way to the Los Angeles Lakers.
He apparently could be dealt to the Lakers alongside sharpshooter Joe Harris in exchange for Russell Westbrook and draft compensation.
Hearing Lakers for Russ, a first-round pick and a pick swap with maybe another player involved, maybe Joe Harris.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) July 1, 2022
That would certainly be an interesting deal for both sides. The Lakers would be able to get rid of Westbrook and acquire two offensive weapons.
Last season, Irving played in only 29 regular season games due to his refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. He averaged 27.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Harris, 30, was limited to only 14 games due to injury. In those appearances, he recorded 11.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest on 46.6 percent shooting from 3-point range. The former second-round pick would bring some much-needed perimeter shooting to the Lakers.
Harris spent time with Irving and Lakers superstar LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers a few years ago.
As for Westbrook, he averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game for the Lakers last season. The team was unable to even make it to the play-in tournament.
While new Lakers head coach Darvin Ham appears to be preparing for the 2022-23 regular season with the idea that Westbrook will be on the team’s roster, things can change rather quickly in the NBA.
It will be interesting to see if a deal involving Irving, Harris and Westbrook goes down. Much of Brooklyn’s roster is seemingly available to discuss in potential deals following Kevin Durant’s trade request.
