The Lakers have been making headlines this season for all the wrong reasons.
Through the first 12 games of the 2022-23 season, Los Angeles owns the second-worst record in the NBA (2-10). It has quickly become clear that the Lakers do not have enough top-end talent to compete with the elite teams in the Western Conference.
If Los Angeles' front office is really feeling the need to make a splash, there is a star guard in Brooklyn who could probably use a change of scenery. Should the Lakers bring the Nets back to the table and revisit trade discussions involving Kyrie Irving?
Let's break down the arguments for and against a blockbuster deal.
SIGN UP TO WATCH EVERY GAME ON NBA LEAGUE PASS: U.S. and U.K. | All other countries
Why Lakers should pursue Kyrie Irving trade
The Lakers hold the worst offensive rating (104.2) and 3-point shooting percentage (30.0) in the league. Their pick-and-roll game is nonexistent, and they have no catch-and-shoot threats to space the floor for LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Irving would be an incredible upgrade in all of those areas. He is one of the best ball handlers and most creative finishers in NBA history, and he is a career 39.1 percent 3-point shooter. Just imagine how different Los Angeles' offense would look with Irving replacing Patrick Beverley in the starting lineup.
Beyond Irving's on-court fit, James appears to be sending strong signals that he wants the Lakers to figure out a way to acquire his former teammate. James addressed Irving's suspension with a couple of tweets, saying that Irving should be able to play after he apologized for a social media post that included a link to a film featuring antisemitic messaging.
On the most recent episode of "The Lowe Post" podcast, ESPN's Zach Lowe attempted to decipher what those comments really mean.
I don't know why LeBron said that. Maybe he just said it because he believes it, and there's nothing else to it. I can tell you around the league — and even within the Lakers, some corners of it — those comments were read as LeBron at least opening the door to, "Hey, if you guys all are comfortable with it, and all the blowback it would be, and the Nets are willing to just get out of the business now, of Kyrie Irving, so we can get him for much cheaper, not both [future draft] picks, maybe one pick?"
I don't even know how to construct a Kyrie Irving trade right now for nine million different [reasons]. Maybe he's laying the groundwork for, maybe [the Nets] waive him. ... This was read around the league — again, not by me, I don't know how to read it — it was read around the league as LeBron indicating, "If you guys want to consider it, I'm at least not gonna stand in your way."
Additionally, Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes reported that James doesn't want to "waste a season of his high-level playing days," and other Lakers players are hoping that vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka sends out 2027 and 2029 first-round picks as part of a win-now move.
Irving is better than any of LA's current backcourt options. James and Irving were incredibly successful as a dynamic duo in Cleveland, and James seems to be open to a reunion. The Lakers can't pivot to a rebuilding plan because the Pelicans own the right to swap picks with them, so they should be all-in on their championship chase.
What's stopping the Lakers from working to get a trade across the finish line?
Why Lakers shouldn't pursue Kyrie Irving trade
At this point in his career, Irving's impact is purely theoretical. The Lakers wouldn't be able to count on him to play for an entire regular season and NBA Playoff run.
How long would it take before he suffered an injury? Or got suspended? Or just became generally unhappy and negatively influenced the locker room? As Lowe noted on his podcast, Irving is considered "radioactive," and most teams would "not even touch him."
There is also the question of how much the Lakers would improve even with an ideal version of Irving. James and Davis have been posting decent numbers, but they aren't consistently performing at an All-NBA level. The rest of the roster would still be a mess.
"With the team's trajectory trending south, sources indicate the front office is unlikely to attach those picks to a potential trade out of concern that such a transaction would not significantly change the course of the season," Haynes wrote.
Los Angeles' front office could understandably feel that the risk outweighs the reward. The Irving experiment could fail this season, leading to his departure in free agency and leaving the Lakers with no future draft capital.
They could ultimately decide that there is not a magic trade that will fix their issues — including one that brings Irving to LA.
