NBA Twitter has been set alight with Kyrie Irving trade rumors to the LA Lakers since news of his trade request broke earlier this afternoon.
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One of the most mercurial characters in the history of the NBA, Kyrie Irving doesn’t quite have a sterling reputation. The 8-time All-Star has been in the news for all the wrong reasons for the past 6 years.
Irving was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the no. 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He played there for 6 years – 3 of them coming during LeBron’s second stint there.
The duo made it to 3 NBA Finals together, including a famous championship win from 3-1 down in 2016. Irving submitted a trade request in the summer of 2017 because he wanted to lead his own team.
However, by the time he reached his second season in Boston, many knew he’d be walking away. Indeed, he’d begun giving signs of his departure from the city right from February 2019.
The inevitable happened as Kyrie convinced KD to sign with him at the Brooklyn Nets as a free agent. But instead of setting up the dynasty they envisioned, the Nets have flattered to deceive in the past 4 seasons.
KD was unavailable for one season. The injury bug hit them hard in the 2020-21 season, when they were prohibitive favorites with James Harden.
They never gelled the following season as Harden requested and got a trade to the Sixers. Finally, they’re only 4th in the East currently, and seem to have an incredibly hard road to the Finals.
Kyrie Irving trade to Lakers could cost Brooklyn Nets $56 million in luxury taxes
Tough as it may be to enact a trade to the Lakers, it’s the main trade rumor that’s doing the rounds around NBA Twitter in the 7 hours and change since the trade request announcement by Shams Charania.
However, there remains a significant financial obstacle that could change the much-discussed Westbrook-Kyrie swap. This is related to the fact that Westbrook earns much more than Kyrie this year.
While Westbrook is being paid over $47 million by the Lakers this year, Kyrie has $36 million to his name. The Nets are, in turn, already paying $108 million in luxury taxes this year.
If they were to acquire Westbrook in Kyrie’s place, that bill would rise by a whopping $56 million. Many onlookers are, therefore, skeptical about this swap deal happening. The deal may involve a 3rd team if it does go through.
How feasible is a Westbrook-Kyrie swap deal?
At this point in their careers, Westbrook is clearly an inferior player to Kyrie. One could argue that Kyrie has been a more valuable player than Westbrook for the entirety of the past 6 years.
Given this, and Westbrook’s added salary, it looks unlikely to see this exchange happening. The addition of a 3rd team might drive an unlikely asset to Brooklyn, but there hasn’t been much thought to that.
It seems unlikely given the current environment of the NBA, but we’ve seen stranger things happen. Lakers fans would be hoping and praying this deal comes through.
