The latest Lakers trade rumors show that Kyrie Irving is almost out of their radar after they found a new trade target. Kyrie Irving had a lot of issues with the Brooklyn Nets, which made them trade him off to the Dallas Mavericks last season. Before the trade to the Dallas Mavericks, Kyrie Irving had interest from the Lakers, who wanted to add him to their super team. However, the deal didn't work out after the Los Angeles Lakers preferred to go for D’Angelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves. This wasn't in the original plan for Irving, but he had to seek refuge at the Dallas Mavericks while still hoping that he would get the deal of his choice during the summer.
This summer, it was expected that the Los Angeles Lakers would have made a move for Kyrie Irving, but it seems like the deal is off after confirmation from a trusted source. According to them, Los Angeles Lakers' interest in buying Kyrie Irving has cooled after the blockbuster deal they made last season. Assuming that Irving had succeeded in moving to the Los Angeles Lakers, he would have reunited with former Cavaliers teammate Lebron James. Both of them stayed together at the Cavaliers before they made big moves to their respective teams.
While speaking to the Thursday edition of the “Hoops Hype Podcast,” The Athletic’s NBA writer Jovan Buha said there were fewer chances of Kyrie Irving moving to the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer. The writer said that information reaching him showed Lakers management has already decided not to pursue the point guard in the summer. "They are not going to be pursuing Kyrie Irving this offseason … To my knowledge and to what I’ve been told, the Kyrie ship, I think, has sailed," Jovan Buha said in the podcast.
Why are the Los Angeles Lakers Missing out on Irving?
After many Lakers trade rumors concerning the trade of Irving, it seems like their interest has cooled. But what is the reason for the Lakers' lack of interest in Irving? The team has played very well since they missed out on Irving in the summer. Despite their star man LeBron James being sidelined for a couple of weeks, the team has won many games without him. One of their new signings, Russell, is also having a wonderful season at the basketball club. Assuming Kyrie Irving's contract with the Los Angeles Lakers was finalized, many had predicted he would also have a wonderful season.
According to Jovan Buha, the reason the Los Angeles Lakers lost interest in Kyrie Irving was how Russell fit so well into the Lakers team. So, assuming Russell hadn't fit so well into the Lakers team, their interest in Irving wouldn't have cooled. "When the Lakers made that deal [for Russell], part of it was getting off ]Westbrook’s] contract and getting out of that situation, but they could’ve potentially had Mike Conley in that deal. They looked at D’Angelo Russell as someone who could be their point guard of the future and potentially that lead ball handler and third-star type of guy that could fit around Anthony Davis and LeBron. From what I’ve been told, the Lakers have a very strong interest in re-signing him. I believe it’s mutual on both sides," Buha said.