Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports reported Sunday that the Nets and Lakers are “actively engaged” in negotiations that could send Kyrie Irving and Joe Harris to the Lakers for Russell Westbrook and draft compensation.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are actively engaged in discussions about a trade package that would send star point guard Russell Westbrook to Brooklyn in exchange for star point guard Kyrie Irving, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
There is palpable optimism that an agreement can be reached between the two sides this offseason, but several hurdles remain, sources said.
However, while Los Angeles-based Haynes wrote that there was “palpable optimism,” he also cited Nets sources as saying the talks “were only preliminary.” Additionally, The Athletic’s Alex Schiffer said on ESPN Radio that he was told the report was inaccurate.
Schiffer also tweeted how trying to run an offense around two non-shooting guards like Westbrook and Ben Simmons was never going to work.
The guy on the right is why the deal for the guy on the left doesn’t make sense. An offensive genius like Mike D’Antoni couldn’t plan an offense around two non-shooting point guards like these two. https://t.co/c8Zt7lyURy
— Alex Schiffer (@Alex__Schiffer) July 3, 2022
The report also contradicts various other reports that the Nets will not move toward trade scenarios for Irving until the Kevin Durant deal is completed.
This is the second time in two days that a deal targeting Irving and Westbrook has been discussed online.
On Friday morning, Legion Hoops reported that there had been discussions between the two teams…
SOURCE: Lakers aggressively working on trade for Kyrie Irving — their current offer is Russell Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker and their 2027 1st-round pick Joe Harris could head to Los Angeles in trade. pic.twitter.com/oRAjIPMj3f
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 1, 2022
Haynes said the contentious issues include the extent of the draft compensation and whether Harris, who is due to make $38 million over the next two years, will be included.
The Lakers are reluctant to include Harris and are instead looking to include shooting guard Seth Curry as part of the deal, sources said.
Curry has an expiring deal for $8.5 million.
Curry and Harris rank third and fourth, respectively, in all-time 3-point shooting percentage.
Westbrook will make $47.1 million this season, the final year of his five-year, $205 million contract signed while with the Thunder in 2017. That’s $10+ million more than Irving, who picked up his player option this week of $36.9 million.
According to reports, the Nets are willing to move Irving to L.A. — his preferred landing spot — as long as it doesn’t increase Brooklyn’s financial commitments next season. A deal involving Harris would reduce the Nets’ payroll by roughly $8 million.
Of course, bringing in Harris, a fan favorite and longest-tenured player in black and white, could mean the Nets are deep into a rebuild, shedding payroll — and the luxury tax — while building up their stockpile of draft picks . One counterpoint to that scenario, however, is that the Nets added $9.2 million to their payroll Thursday when they traded Utah’s first-round pick for Royce O’Neal.
Haynes said nothing is imminent.
The Nets are not expected to be rushed into a deal and will continue to discuss the complexities of an Irving-Westbrook trade with the Lakers.
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