Failed Kyrie Irving Deal Could Lead Lakers to Better Roster amid Latest Trade Rumors

Many Los Angeles Lakers fans have been counting down the days to Thursday's trade deadline. The Lakers, who have been getting elite play from LeBron James and again have a healthy Anthony Davis, have improved since their woeful start to the season.

At 25-29, though, Los Angeles hasn't shown that it's good enough to make a championship run with the current roster. The deal to acquire Rui Hachimura was a nice start, but many fans have been hopeful for an even bigger deadline-beating trade.

For a brief window over the weekend, it seemed the Lakers might finally have their trade target. The Brooklyn Nets made point guard Kyrie Irving available, and L.A. had been linked to James' former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate since the offseason.

However, the Lakers and their fans watched instead as Irving was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks—a trade that became official on Monday.

Los Angeles did make a strong offer for the 30-year-old, as strong as any offer they've seemed to consider this year.

"The Lakers offered the Nets a package of Westbrook and two first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 for Irving in the last two days, sources with knowledge of the discussions said," The Athletic's Shams Charania wrote.

Per Charania, though, Brooklyn also wanted young talents like Austin Reaves and Max Christie in the deal. General manager Rob Pelinka and the Lakers balked.

While missing out on Irving may disappoint much of the fanbase, there is a silver lining. L.A.'s offer, if accurate, suggests that the front office is finally willing to go all-in on an aggressive trade to salvage the season.

Between now and Thursday, the Lakers should be motivated to get another deal done, and it might actually improve the roster more than adding Irving would have.

Yes, Irving and James have won a championship together. Irving is also a tremendous isolation player who could take advantage of the spacing created by James and Davis. He's also a solid three-point shooter (37.4 percent this season), something Los Angeles also needs.

However, L.A. would be giving up a valuable sixth man in Westbrook for one player, and the Lakers need more than that. They could get more if one of their preferred options goes through.

"In the wake of the Irving-to-Dallas news, the two teams that have repeatedly popped up as Plan B options for the Lakers are the Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors, according to league sources," The Atletic's Jovan Buha wrote. "...The Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls are three other teams to watch, according to those sources."

Recent rumors have suggested what a deal with Utah might include.

"One of the possible trade destinations for Westbrook, Utah, also remains a major catalyst ahead of the deadline," Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer wrote. "Any deal that sends Westbrook to the Jazz would almost certainly include veteran point guard Mike Conley, wing shooter Malik Beasley and forward Jarred Vanderbilt."

In this case, Plan B could be better than the initial plan. Conley is a great off-ball player who can take advantage of the attention James and Davis command. Beasley, who is a career 38-percent three-point shooter, could help give L.A. the reliability on the perimeter it needs. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, is a 6'8" forward, and the Lakers lack size on the bench.

Instead of swapping out one third star for another, a Jazz deal could turn Westbrook into multiple role players who fit the roster's needs.

A deal with Toronto could yield a similar return, depending on if the Raptors make players available and who they are. Buha mentioned only "starter-level players," while USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt listed a few potential trade chips last month.

"It's another interesting situation because the Raptors have players other teams want, including Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes," Zillgitt wrote. "...Adding intrigue is the contract situations: Siakam and Anunoby can become free agents in 2024, VanVleet a free agent following this season and Barnes is looking for a significant raise on a rookie extension."

If the Lakers could pluck a couple of players from this group, they could be better off—albeit with less star power—than with Irving in the lineup.

Again, Irving is a great scorer, but scoring isn't the biggest issue here. The Lakers are averaging 117.1 points per game. Going into Monday night, only four teams in the Western Conference averaged more. However, they are also allowing 118.4 points per game while making a league-low 10.5 three-pointers per contest.

Los Angeles needs an improved defense and better three-point shooting. Ideally, they'll find multiple players who can fill those roles.

Irving represented the splash trade, and perhaps the one that fans wanted most. However, the Lakers stand a real chance of coming away with a better overall roster now that Irving is off the table.

The question is whether Los Angeles can get a trade for multiple players done and whether that's enough to put James, Davis and Co. in the championship mix for the first time since 2020.