Lurking under the surface of the Kevin Durant trade saga this offseason has been the Kyrie Irving trade rumors. Irving opted into the final year of his contract with the Brooklyn Nets earlier this offseason, but has been attempting to force his way onto the Los Angeles Lakers ever since then.
The Lakers have been the only team to express interest in the unhappy Irving. L.A. believes that Irving would work well with LeBron James, which makes sense considering they led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a championship together back in 2016. James was open to the idea of joining forces with Irving again, and it seemed like only a matter of time until a deal got completed.
That may not be the case anymore, though. Irving is expected to find his way onto the Lakers at some point, but it may not be this offseason. Irving has reportedly warmed up to the idea of spending the 2022-23 season with Brooklyn, and has been practicing with his teammates and communicating with the Nets organization throughout the offseason.
“All-Star Kyrie Irving also opted into his $37 million player option, committed to the 2022-23 season in Brooklyn and sources with knowledge of the situation say he has been working out with teammates and holding constructive dialogue with the organization this offseason. Brooklyn has made clear to interested teams that they plan to keep the seven-time All-Star, according to sources.” – Shams Charania, The Athletic
This is potentially detrimental news for the Lakers. They have been working on acquiring Irving all offseason long, in hopes that he would be a massive upgrade over their current point guard, Russell Westbrook. Irving may join LeBron James and the Lakers in free agency next offseason, but for now, it looks like he's set to stay with Brooklyn for the upcoming season.
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