"Does the organization, Jeanie Buss have the courage, forget Westbrook, to move off Anthony Davis?" - Colin Cowherd claims a Kyrie Irving-Anthony Davis swap could work out perfectly for both their teams

Kyrie Irving once more made headlines when reports surfaced that he could enter free agency after his talks with the Brooklyn Nets stalled. The LA Lakers are supposedly interested in pursuing a trade with the Nets for one of NBA history’s most skilled players.

While it has been Russell Westbrook’s name that has come up if a trade happens, Colin Cowherd thinks Anthony Davis is who Brooklyn would prefer.

On his podcast, the veteran sports analyst weighed in on rumors of Irving’s potential value to the Lakers. Here's what he had to say:

"Does Rob Pelinka, does the organization, Jeanie Buss have the courage, forget Westbrook, to move off Anthony Davis?

"What do the Lakers have that the Knicks and Clippers don’t? A star to give you back. AD would be the best player … Lakers can give you exactly what Brooklyn Nets need to make the deal work."

Cowherd further explained his thoughts on how AD could sway the Brooklyn Nets to trade Kyrie Irving:

"A star with a big contract who defends and has size in the East. If you wanna win the East, you’re gonna have to get through Robert Williams, Bam Adebayo, Giannis, Joel Embiid.

"You can’t ask Kevin Durant to play 42 minutes to guard Giannis. You can’t do that, it’s not fair to Kevin Durant."

In the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round exit against the Boston Celtics, Kevin Durant specifically mentioned Boston’s size as a factor his team couldn’t overcome. He pointed out that Marcus Smart, at 6’4, was the smallest player on the Celtics, while they had length and size through 1-5.

During that series, Brooklyn sorely lacked rim protection. All the Nets had to offer against the Celtics' athleticism and drives to the basket were Blake Griffin, Nic Claxton and Andre Drummond. Having Anthony Davis in the lineup immediately solves their size and defense issues.

The Brooklyn Nets will surely miss Kyrie Irving, but their mercurial point guard hasn’t been much of a presence for the team.

KD and Irving have played a total of 44 games, which was highlighted by one playoff series win against the Boston Celtics last year.

---

Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis could change the future of their teams when available

No matter which team they play for, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, when available, can change the future of their respective squads.

Whether they remain on their respective teams or swap NBA cities, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis are almost irreplaceable for the Brooklyn Nets and LA Lakers.

The last time AD was healthy for a big chunk of the season, the Lakers immediately won a championship. He’s only played in a total of 76 games over the last two years.

The LA Lakers were first-round casualties in the playoffs last year and didn’t even make it to the play-in this season.

Kyrie Irving’s issues are far more complicated. He’s been injury-prone, refused to take the vaccine and left the Brooklyn Nets without any notice a few years back to “cool off.”

GM Sean Marks has played hardball in contract talks as the Nets reportedly don’t want to offer Irving a long-term deal.

The Brooklyn Nets simply can’t trust “Uncle Drew” to hold up his end of the bargain. The Nets haven’t won anything yet with the seven-time All-Star, but if he’s healthy, engaged and has KD, they could surprise the entire NBA.