NBA Insider puts LeBron James, the Lakers’, and Kyrie Irving’s situation into serious perspective ahead of 2022-23 NBA season
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Kevin Durant wants to leave.
What does that have to do with anything? Well, is it really possible that Kyrie Irving will try to compete as a Brooklyn Net, with Ben Simmons as his second-best player?
Somewhere in Philadelphia, Joel Embiid can’t stop laughing.
So, with all this yammer-yammer in mind, of course, Uncle Drew will be looking to get traded. And out of all the franchises, LeBron James and the Lakers have reportedly shown the most interest.
Given the fact that the world knows Irving wants to leave now, you’d think the Purple and Gold are playing from a position of power, here. However, a certain NBA insider has some wildly different thoughts on the matter, that you might like to hear.
Enough build-up. Let’s jump straight into it, shall we?
Zach Lowe exclaims that it is really the Nets who are in a position of power during this whole Kyrie Irving ordeal, not LeBron James and the Lakers
We won’t lie, we were a bit surprised seeing Lowe’s comments.
But, before we say anything further, allow us to present the quote in question.
Take a look at the tweet below.
Zach Lowe on ESPN:
“If I’m the Nets, I say, you have LeBron & AD guess what? That’s not enough to win the championship. You need Kyrie. We’re gonna sit back and wait till you give us both 1st round picks… If it takes all season, it takes all season.
(via @ZachLowe_NBA) pic.twitter.com/nLCfocLO5v
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 8, 2022
In our opinion, both franchises are equally desperate at the moment.
The Nets may have the rights of Kyrie Irving as an asset, right now. However, his player option runs out as soon as the oncoming season does. And, given that Kevin Durant wants to leave, we doubt he’ll want to sign another deal with Brooklyn.
So, if they wait, this franchise could simply lose Irving for absolutely nothing, meaning that they have to trade him now, to the place he wants to go, and hope to get enough assets in return.
However, at the same time, Lowe’s comments about the Lakers could not be more true. And while LeBron James hasn’t started regressing at an astronomical rate, it’s definitely happening, making the Purple and Gold worry about the length of their championship window.
Frankly, this looks to us like a game of chicken between the franchises. And if we had to bet, we’d say it’s the Nets that are likelier to lose.
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