The Lakers continue to focus on Kyrie Irving, but the Nets are unlikely to give him up without at least one first-round pick in return, writes Marc Stein in his latest column for Substack. Irving was in Los Angeles this week to watch the WNBA’s Sparks, which Stein characterized as “making his current presence in Los Angeles known.”
While Irving would obviously like to reunite with former teammate LeBron James, Stein says the Lakers aren’t making any promises behind the scenes. General manager Rob Pelinka said in a televised interview Friday that he is still working to upgrade the roster, but league rules prevent him from talking specifically about a possible deal for Irving.
The Lakers’ concerns about overspending could be a major obstacle to making a deal happen, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix explained on Ryen Rusillo’s podcast (tip to Eric Yulau of SI’s Lakers page). Despite being among the NBA’s most highly valued teams, Mannix calls the Lakers “a mom-and-pop organization masquerading as a multibillion-dollar franchise” and says they’re reluctant to take on all the costs it would take to convince Brooklyn to make a deal
“There’s not a huge appetite in Los Angeles at this point to take all the money they’re going to have to take to be deeper in the taxing luxury team and get a first-round pick in return,” Mannix said. “As long as that’s the asking price, the Lakers won’t get Kyrie Irving.”
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- Pelinka’s next priority will be to find more shooters, Stein added in the same piece. The Lakers have been linked to Buddy Hield of the Pacers and Eric Gordon of the Rockets, both of whom were Pelinka’s clients when he was an agent.
- A source tells Stein that Los Angeles likely doesn’t have enough assets to land Hield and Myles Turner from Indiana. Reports describe them as “primary targets” if the Lakers can’t make a deal for Irving.
- Pelinka’s willingness to cover Brooklyn’s price tag for Irving could be influenced by James’ upcoming extension date, Stein added. Starting Aug. 4, James will be eligible to sign a two-year extension worth about $100 million, and Stein suggests Pelinka may want to have a big deal in place by then to ensure his star player is happy.
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