[ad_1]
There is going to be plenty of fallout from Kevin Durant requesting a trade from the Brooklyn Nets right before NBA free agency began. Brooklyn’s roster is going to look drastically different as they could part ways with more than just Durant in a deal.
Another player that could have played his last game in a Nets uniform is Kyrie Irving. Before opting into his contract for the 2022-23 season, there were some rumors about him looking for a team that would be willing to work out a long-term deal for him.
Nothing came to fruition as his market was virtually nonexistent. The only team that has shown any real interest in acquiring him is the Los Angeles Lakers. That isn’t overly surprising as they need to add talent to the roster in any way possible and LeBron James is pushing to team up with Irving once again.
However, a swap between the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets is a very difficult one to navigate. If Los Angeles wants to acquire Irving, the deal almost certainly has to include Russell Westbrook. He is likely someone that Brooklyn doesn’t have any interest in acquiring, especially with Ben Simmons already on the roster.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: This Lakers-Spurs Trade Sends Josh Richardson To Los Angeles
In the NBA, if there is a will there is a way. While a regular one-on-one swap may not be feasible, another team could get involved as a Westbrook landing spot. According to Adrian Wojnarowski during a recent appearance on ESPN, the San Antonio Spurs could help facilitate a deal.
San Antonio has a ton of cap space to spend as they entered the offseason as one of the only franchises with space to spend. They opened up even more when they traded Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks for Danilo Gallinari and draft picks. Gallinari was almost immediately waived and depending on how the San Antonio Spurs do it, they can open up even more money.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: This Lakers-Spurs Trade Sends Josh Richardson To Los Angeles
To be part of this deal, San Antonio will have to be compensated with draft capital. Los Angeles has been hesitant to attach picks to Russell Westbrook as a sweetener, but if they are going to be acquiring a player of Kyrie Irving’s caliber in the deal, they should be more open to parting ways with draft picks.
Wojnarowski also mentioned two more trade targets the Lakers have their eyes on in Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets and Buddy Hield of the Indiana Pacers. Both players are former Rob Pelinka clients and would be good fits for how the roster is currently built.
[ad_2]
