At this point it seems safe to say the Los Angeles Lakers would like to add Kyrie Irving to their roster this offseason. That doesn’t mean it will happen.
After picking up his player option, Irving is under contract for $36.5 million with the Brooklyn Nets in 2022-23. Once the season concludes, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent, and then maybe the Lakers can pursue the star guard. Whether he decides to sign in L.A. is an entirely different story.
What does Kyrie Irving want?
Lost in all this is what Kyrie Irving, the player wants. Which team would he prefer to play for? Where does his heart lie?
According to Shams Charania, who made an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Irving opted-in with the Nets with the full desire to stick with the Nets in 2022-23. That doesn’t change, whether Kevin Durant is on the roster or not, according to Charania.
So if Durant gets traded, it doesn’t automatically mean Irving would be the next to go.
But as everyone knows, any Durant trade would drastically shift the team’s roster makeup, it’s possible the team decides it’s better off moving on from Irving. Maybe their best trade offer revolves around a top point guard talent? In that case, it’s probably in the best interest for everyone to move on, allowing the Nets to strengthen other areas of weakness on the roster.
Either way, it doesn’t sound like Irving is following in the footsteps of his teammate Durant, who has reportedly requested a trade. While last season was a mess for Irving in Brooklyn, he seems excited about being able to play a full season with the Nets in 2022-23. We’ll see what actually happens. Plans change all the time.
Related: 50 Best NBA players of 2022: Stephen Curry leads the charge after brilliant season