For months, Kyrie Irving has been linked to a Los Angeles NBA team. But it might not be the Lakers.
There’s at least four teams in pursuit of the Nets’ disgruntled guard, who requested a trade Friday. One of them is the Lakers, featuring Irving’s old teammate, LeBron James.
But now it sounds like their Crypto.com Arena roommates are also interested in Uncle Drew.
The Lakers are a natural fit, given the history of the two stars, and the Lakers’ desire to maximize James’ title window in his age-38 season.
But the Nets want to maximize Kevin Durant’s chances to compete, and exchanging Russell Westbrook for Kyrie Irving and other players doesn’t do that.
Even if the Lakers include two first-round picks, they likely need to get a third team involved to deliver Brooklyn something it actually wants.
The Clippers also have a Cleveland connection to Kyrie-Tyronn Lue coached the Cavs’ 2016 championship team.
They also have more immediately helpful veterans to send Brooklyn’s way. Some combination of John Wall, Robert Covington, Marcus Morris, Luke Kennard, or Terance Mann could provide more immediate help.
The other factor in the Clippers’ favor is ownership. Steve Ballmer hasn’t hesitated to give out long-term
maximum extensions to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, two of the only superstars who miss more games than Irving.
Ballmer has shown no reluctance to pay luxury tax, one reason the Clippers have nine different players making more than $10M. He may be willing to provide Brooklyn with salary and tax relief by taking back more salary than he sends out.
Ultimately, it comes down to where Irving wants to go, and which team is willing to give him the best next contract.
Perhaps he’s already decided he wants to be a Laker. But if the chase for Irving is truly wide-open, the Clippers have to be considered serious contenders.
