“Their best option right now is to try to get Gary Payton, but knowing their luck, they’ll get the Gary Payton senior” - Bill Plaschke says the LA Lakers are in serious trouble, believes Kyrie Irving would’ve made it worse

Kyrie Irving has been linked to several teams, including the LA Lakers. While many have been thrilled by the thought of Irving, columnist Bill Plaschke does not think the Brooklyn Nets guard would be much help.

Irving failed to reach a long-term agreement with the Nets, which led to rumors of his departure gaining traction. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski released Irving's six-team wish list for a sign-and-trade.

The main area of disagreement between both parties was the length of his contract. Irving wanted a long-term max contract, while the Nets were looking to have one more go before committing.

However, Plaschke does not see how Irving will help the Lakers out of their situation. They brought in Russell Westbrook last summer to provide a third scoring option, but that experiment failed.

On "The Dan Patrick Show," Plaschke said:

"The fact that Westbrook is staying – we knew he was staying – but the fact that he just reminded us of this, $47 million and singing you can't break my soul. I'm glad we can't break his soul for 47 million freaking dollars. That's a comfort.

"Laker fans are, they're in trouble. They've thrown their hands up. Kyrie wasn't gonna help. He was gonna make it worse, but it's still bad. They've got nowhere to turn. I mean their best option right now is to try to get Gary Payton (II), but knowing their luck, they'll get the Gary Payton Sr., and not the son.

"They need to be aligned in the story about Russell Westbrook agreeing to stay for $47 million, thus dashing the Lakers' playoff hopes for next season."

While some Lakers fans are distraught about the idea of Westbrook donning the uniform for another season, others are open to giving him a second chance. "Mr. Triple Double" just opted into his $47 million player option for next season.

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The LA Lakers were reportedly eyeing a LeBron James-Kyrie Irving reunion

Kyrie Irving and LeBron James

The Lakers were reportedly pursuing a sign-and-trade deal with the Nets. Wojnarowski revealed that the Lakers had already indicated interest, but the Nets were not interested in what was being offered.

Regardless, a move for Irving will not be happening, at least this season. The All-Star guard will reportedly opt into his player option and remain committed to Kevin Durant and the Nets.

There were reports that Irving and LeBron James talked about the possibility of a reunion. But that is not going to happen this offseason.

James and Irving played together for three consecutive seasons from 2015 to 2017. In that period, they reached the NBA Finals three times and won a title in 2016.