With the Kyrie Irving soap opera on hiatus indefinitely, perhaps the Lakers need to look to other avenues for strength over the summer. This is precisely the objective of the front office, which has just relaunched discussions with another team, on the side of the Eastern Conference. A deal is much more likely in this specific case.
The summer is still long for the Lakers, who aim to improve their workforce before the resumption. It’s clear that Rob Pelinka isn’t entirely happy with his players, as he still hopes to be able to trade Russell Westbrook against Kyrie Irving. But the Nets being too greedy, the negotiations have experienced a big halt recently, and not sure that they will resume one day. For the Angelinos, other solutions must therefore be found.
We have just learned that the Angelinons have reactivated another track, leading to a player rather well known among supporters: Buddy Hield. The shooter has been linked with the City of Angels for about a year, having competed with Westbrook last year to come. The leaders had chosen the leader, and we can say that they probably bitterly regret their choice today.
A close deal for the Lakers?
Hield, known more for his shooting than anything else, is a much better fit on paper than Russ. The Poupre et Or have understood this and are still trying to repair their mistake, since according to Dave McMenamin, discussions are taking place with the Pacers to try to find an agreement. A desire from the front office to conclude a new deal? Or is it a plan B in view of the Kyrie failure? Hard to know.
This is what the journalist explains in his article for ESPN:
From what I know, in the last few days, discussions have been able to resume between the Lakers and the Pacers for a Buddy Hield trade. But will this exchange be centered on Russell Westbrook, perhaps to have Myles Turner as a bonus? Or maybe we’re talking about selling Talen Horton-Tucker instead? This could affect the Russell Westbrook soap opera.
Ideally, the Lakers may be hoping that giving away THT will be enough to lure Hield, or even Turner in more than a first-round draft pick or two. It’s hard to know what the leaders are ready to offer, but they are determined to bring new players to this roster. Behind, Westbrook could be traded for Irving, with the hope that the Nets give in on this file.
Knowing that Kyrie only has a year left on his contract, it’s a possibility, but we can say that it’s off to a bad start:
There is no progress on a potential trade between Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving at this time. Nothing.
Kyrie Irving or not, it is clear that the Lakers want to make changes in their workforce. It is possible that Russell Westbrook will be sent to the Pacers, at least if it is the price to pay to recover other players. If it attracts Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, it’s probably the best thing to do.