The Los Angeles Lakers made a strong push for Kyrie Irving this week, but ultimately the Brooklyn Nets decided to trade him to the Dallas Mavericks.
Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and two second-round picks was the toll the Mavs paid for a 30-year-old NBA champ and eight-time All-Star.
Shortly after the Lakers lost out on their guy, again, reports surfaced regarding what their final offer to Brooklyn had been.
What did L.A. propose?
“Lakers had offer earlier in week that included Russell Westbrook and a first round pick for Irving,” NBA insider Ian Begley revealed.
Understandably, the Nets preferred taking the same exact amount of draft capital plus a proven point guard and wing to Los Angeles’ package.
According to Matt Moore of The Action Network, Rob Pelinka and Co. simply didn’t want to part with two first rounders for Irving.
“The Lakers didn’t want to trade those two picks, the remaining assets they have to make moves this season,” he wrote.
“Despite James’ very obvious consternation and disappointment in the team not choosing to make trades to improve the team, the Lakers simply would not move those picks.
“Not for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, not for various assets from Utah, not for various assets from San Antonio and, according to league sources, not in weekend discussions for Irving. The Lakers were not going to get back a better player than Irving in a Westbrook deal,” he continued.
“They may be able to move Westbrook in another deal, but Irving is off the table, for now.”
In recent days the Lakers have been linked to a potential three-team NBA Trade and a possible deal with the Phoenix Suns.
LeBron James’ encounter with a female fan at the Lakers game goes viral. https://t.co/zNDBZrGrtD
— Game 7 (@game7__) February 5, 2023
Time will tell if losing out on Irving will lead to them revisiting one of those swaps now.
Either way, though – clearly there is a lot of disappointment in Laker land regarding missing out on Irving.
Will the team be able to get anything done ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline? One way or another, the answer to that question will emerge this week.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.