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The Kyrie Irving saga continues into the second week of July. The possibility of the All-Star guard's departure from the Brooklyn Nets continues to grow. ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst's latest intel surrounding Irving suggests the same. Here's what he said on ESPN's 'Get Up' show (via Nets Daily):
"The market on Kyrie remains frozen. The only team known to have interest is the Los Angeles Lakers. and the Nets have given out the vibe they want to do a Kevin Durant trade first before moving on to Kyrie."
"So Kyrie will be welcome to games. Nets would be happy to have him attend summer league games but I think he's played his last game for the Brooklyn Nets."
The Brooklyn Nets haven't found an acceptable offer for superstar Kevin Durant. The Nets' unwillingness to offer Irving a max deal is reportedly behind KD's trade request.
Several teams have tried to package deals, but none have reached the Nets' expectations. Meanwhile, the market for Kyrie Irving is dry. The LA Lakers are the only team interested in his services.
Kyrie Irving's move to LA Lakers is imminent
According to reports, the LA Lakers and Brooklyn Nets reaching an agreement over Irving's move to Hollywood seems imminent. A few hurdles remain. The Lakers must include Russell Westbrook's $47 million expiring contract to complete the deal.
That's $11 million more than Kyrie Irving's current contract, an expiring deal. Initial reports suggested the Nets were seeking draft picks and the Lakers were unwilling to offer those. Brooklyn also wanted to include Joe Harris as a salary dump in the deal. The Lakers wanted Seth Curry's one-year $8 million contract instead.
The latest rumblings center around the inclusion of a third team. The Brooklyn Nets may not want to absorb Russell Westbrook's salary. The San Antonio Spurs have been rumored to facilitate a deal between the Lakers and Nets. They have the cap room to take on Westbrook's contract in exchange for draft compensation.
The LA Lakers will have leverage as the only team interested in Kyrie Irving, so they have time to assemble an affordable package. Rob Pelinka will need to get crafty to pull off this blockbuster deal.
