The Definitive Case Against a Lakers/Kyrie Irving Trade

It had been a few months since we'd heard anything wild. We were long overdue for our regular Kyrie Irving news nugget. And on Friday, we finally got it.

As NBA fans and media debated the availability of and potential suitors for the likes of Bojan Bogdanović, John Collins and other less notable stars, The Athletic's Shams Charania blew up the news feed.

Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes confirmed the news, and within seconds, speculation ramped up about the possibility of Kyrie reuniting with old teammate LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Other reported suitors include the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks. But the Lakers are the Lakers.

The Lakers always generate buzz, and in this particular story, there's the added intrigue of Kyrie and LeBron playing together.

It's what made the idea of Irving joining L.A. this past offseason so interesting. It's a big part of what's driving the attention on them (as opposed to Dallas, Miami or whoever else might be interested) right now.

And while a trio of LeBron, Anthony Davis and Kyrie would have championship-level upside, there are just too many obstacles between here and there to justify a trade (unless the Brooklyn Nets are resigned to just give him away).

All season, whenever the Lakers have come up in trade rumors, the conversation has inevitably shifted to the two first-round picks they can trade. Just about every other asset they have is spent, so a real upgrade would almost certainly require the 2027 first, the 2029 first and Russell Westbrook's expiring contract.

It's what they'd have to do to get Buddy Hield and Myles Turner from the Indiana Pacers. It's probably what they'd need to get into conversations about Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan. Various Toronto Raptors who may or may not be available would probably cost that too.

So, presumably, that's where the Nets will start with the Lakers. And even if the Nets only ask for one of those picks, there's a darn-near ironclad argument against trading for Irving.

Primarily, it's about availability (or lack thereof).

Prior to this season, Irving had averaged just over 55 appearances per campaign. Over the three years immediately preceding 2022-23, that average was just 34.3.

And the list of reasons for Kyrie's absences is long, varied and sometimes inexplicable.

He's missed significant time in both college and the NBA with toe, shoulder, finger, biceps, knee, hamstring, quad, hip, thigh, ankle and back injuries. Yes, that's real. No, it's not a nursery rhyme to teach your kid about various body parts.

And it's nowhere near the end of the issue.

Kyrie forced a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers by threatening to get a knee surgery. As a member of the Boston Celtics, he promised to re-sign with the team before backpedaling a few months later (and of course, he eventually joined the Nets).

In Brooklyn, he missed time with what might be best described as a mystery absence in 2020-21. He missed the bulk of 2021-22 for noncompliance with local COVID-19 regulations. And earlier this season, he was suspended for eight games for "publicizing a film containing deeply disturbing antisemitic hate."

Just a couple months later, he's requesting another trade.

Of course, injuries are a natural part of this business, but it's still a consideration teams have to make when building a roster. What makes Irving unique is the non-injury absences. And when you combine that with his lack of durability, it's easy to start worrying.

Yes, just in terms of talent, LeBron, Kyrie and AD form a title-worthy trio. But AD has his own prolific history with injuries. Irving is a complete wild card. And though he's probably the most reliable of the three, LeBron is still 38 years old.

There's simply no way to have any confidence that all three would be around for a deep playoff run.

Unavailability might just be an offshoot of a bigger problem with Kyrie too: lack of commitment. Given his history of trade requests and fickleness in free agency, some of the suitors are reportedly wary of giving him a new deal.

And assuming Kyrie and his new team even come to an agreement (written or otherwise), how could that organization have any faith in it?

L.A. fans can probably envision Kyrie and LeBron holding up the Larry O'Brien trophy like they did for the Cavaliers, but plenty of other possibilities would be on the table.

Imagine the Lakers giving up one or two of those picks, getting a few big performances from Kyrie before he disappears (mentally or physically) in the playoffs and eventually leaves in free agency this summer.

That's all on the table.

And instead of having an underwhelming season in which LeBron broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record, L.A. would have an embarrassing flameout and departure and no (or less) future picks to fall back on.

There are just too many serious risks at play here. Sure, if the Nets will just take Westbrook to get Kyrie off their hands, the Lakers would be justified in making the deal. Westbrook's money is also coming off the books this summer, and Irving can help a lot more on the floor right now.

But anything more than a straight-up swap is begging for problems near and far.