NBA Rumors: After an offseason of pursuing a Kyrie Irving trade, it doesn’t seem the Los Angeles Lakers have interest in pursuing him again next summer.
After missing out on a big whale this offseason, there’s an expectation that’s growing that suggests the Los Angeles Lakers will be all-in on acquiring a star next offseason. With Russell Westbrook’s contract coming off the books, the Lakers are expected to have some wiggle room to do so.
And a recent report suggested that a few names that could be linked to the Lakers are Andrew Wiggins, Myles Turner, Jerami Grant, and Kyrie Irving. Though, it seems we can cross one name off that list.
The Los Angeles Lakers are not expected to pursue Kyrie Irving next offseason after all
According to a recent report, the Lakers don’t view Kyrie Irving as part of their long-term plans. In simple terms, they’re not likely to be one of the possible landing spots for the superstar next summer.
The phrasing on this report leads me to believe that perhaps the whole pursuit of Kyrie revolved around a couple of sticking points from the Lakers’ perspective. For one, this was always going to be a prove-it move (for Kyrie) or somewhat of a rental agreement for the Lakers.
After all, why would the Lakers want Kyrie signed on longer than LeBron? That doesn’t make a ton of sense. And second, the Lakers were probably only interested if it was a low-cost move. As soon as it was going to cost them two future first-round picks, their interest likely diminished greatly.
Assuming those two things are indeed so, it would make sense that the Lakers will not be interested in pursuing him next summer when he’s an unrestricted free agent. Kyrie will likely be looking for a four-year deal and I’m not sure that’s something the Lakers would want to commit to. Especially with LeBron essentially committing year to year.
It seems like Kyrie is no longer a possibility for the Lakers. It remains to be seen if it will end up being the right decision in the long run.