Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving could potentially leave the team this offseason.
Irving, who has a player option for the 2022-23 season, could opt out and sign with a new team, or he could try to force his way out by opting in and requesting a trade.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, there are those “very” close to the situation that believe Irving is trying to get himself to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Irving would reunite with his former teammate LeBron James if he were to go to Los Angeles.
“Joe, there are sources very close to the situation who strongly believe Irving is trying to make his way to the Lakers here and everything else is just (necessary) noise,” Amick wrote. “The sense I get is that James is very open to the idea, but the dynamics are somewhat delicate too.”
It’s possible the Lakers could bring Irving onto the roster if he is willing to opt out and sign a mid-level exception this offseason, but if not, the team would likely need to part ways with either Russell Westbrook or Anthony Davis for salary cap reasons.
In a trade, the Lakers would need to match salary with Irving’s contract for the 2022-23 season.
Irving has missed time with injuries over the last few seasons, and last year, he appeared in just 29 games during the regular season. The seven-time All-Star was unable to play in Nets home games for a good chunk of the season due to his vaccination status.
Despite that, Irving 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.
There’s no doubt that Irving would be an immediate talent upgrade to the Lakers’ roster.
