Kyrie Irving Trade Rumors: Lakers Not Looking to Move Austin Reaves, Max Christie

If the Los Angeles Lakers pursue Kyrie Irving, they reportedly aren't going to go over the top in their efforts to acquire the eight-time All-Star.

Per The Athletic's Jovan Buha, the Lakers aren't interested in including Austin Reaves or Max Christie, whom Buha describes as "promising young role players," in a potential offer to the Brooklyn Nets for Irving.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday that Irving requested a trade from the Nets after talks for a long-term contract extension broke down.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Irving balked at the Nets' offer because the salary in the final season wasn't fully guaranteed.

Wojnarowski cited the Lakers and Phoenix Suns as teams that have already shown interest in Irving, with the Dallas Mavericks also expected to get involved in trade talks.

The Lakers were connected to Irving during the offseason when he was trying to find teams willing to pursue a sign-and-trade deal, but Wojnarowski reported the Nets weren't interested in what Los Angeles had to offer in return.

Outside of their two future first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2029, it's hard to see much of anything that has changed for the Lakers if they were to pursue Irving. Russell Westbrook is having a decent bounce-back season off the bench, but he's still shooting 41.2 percent from the field.

The rest of Los Angeles' roster outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis comprises a lot of mid-tier role players who won't raise a team's ceiling. The Nets, presumably, would want a deal that keeps them competitive this season in order to keep Kevin Durant happy.

Reaves, 24, and Christie, 19, are the best players the Lakers could use in a trade. Both are under team control for next season on entry-level or minimum deals.

Reaves plays 28.9 minutes per night and is averaging 10.8 points per game on 36.0 percent three-point shooting in 36 appearances this season. Christie is almost all projection as a 19-year-old rookie. He's played well in a limited role, shooting 42.6 percent from behind the arc on 1.8 attempts per game.

With five days before the Feb. 9 trade deadline, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has a lot to ponder as he tries to upgrade this roster for the stretch run.