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The prospect of having to give away two first-round picks stopped the LA Lakers from negotiating with the Brooklyn Nets over a move for Kyrie Irving. There has been speculation that the Lakers might be willing to part with those picks for the Indiana Pacers duo of Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, but NBA analyst Robert Guerra thinks such a move will never happen.
On The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker, the topic of the Lakers was brought up. Guerra said there was no way the Lakers would prefer Hield and Turner to Irving.
"There is no scenario where the Lakers decide we would rather offer 2 first-round picks for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner and not offer 2 first-round picks for Kyrie Irving.
"That's just not gonna happen because say what you want about Kyrie and his availability issues and him being mercurial guy, to say the least, Kyrie on your team with LeBron and AD raises your ceiling in a way that the other two just do not.
"I'm not saying that they'd be the favorites to win the championship but it's not even close. If you have those three versus LeBron, AD, and the two Pacers guys, it's not comparable."
Although Hield and Turner could add plenty of value to the Lakers, they are not at the same level as Irving, who could make Los Angeles instant contenders when partnered with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The LA Lakers are banking on Anthony Davis to stay fit
Perhaps the reason for the Lakers not wanting to go all out is their wish for Anthony Davis to stay healthy and have a great season. The All-Star forward has struggled in the past two seasons due to several injuries to his lower body.
With AD, the Lakers stand a great chance of competing for the title. New head coach Darvin Ham said the three-time block champion is a top-five player in the league and is the key to their season.
Davis has proved his value to the organization in the past, helping them win the 2020 title in the Orlando bubble. However, many would argue that he has regressed since then.
Guess the Lakers players!
