NBA insider shares update on Kyrie Irving-Lakers rumors

Apr 25, 2022; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) reacts during the second quarter of game four of the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets will likely continue to search for a trade partner for Kyrie Irving now that Kevin Durant wants out, but that does not mean they will find one.

A lot of people are anticipating that Irving will eventually end up with the Los Angeles Lakers. If the Lakers and Nets are going to work out a deal, they have a long way to go. Shams Charania of The Athletic said on the “Pat McAfee Show” Tuesday that there has been “no traction on any type of a Lakers deal for Kyrie Irving.” The NBA reporter is skeptical that anything is going to change on that front.

There have been reports that LeBron James is pushing for the Lakers to acquire Irving. That does not mean they can — or will — snap their fingers and make a trade with Brooklyn. It’s possible that the two teams could work something out where they find a way to swap Irving and his $37 million salary for Westbrook and his $47 million salary, but any deal would still be complicated.

It does not sound like there is much of a market for Irving, though two other teams are said to have some interest. Irving is almost certainly going to want to be traded if the Nets deal Durant, but it is no guarantee that he will get his wish.