Nets had ridiculous asking price for Lakers in Kyrie Irving trade

May 9, 2019; New York City, NY, USA; Taiwanese businessman Joe Tsai (left) looks on during the second half of the preseason WNBA game between the New York Liberty and the China National Team at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets traded Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, reportedly in part because team owner Joe Tsai did not want to accomodate the guard by sending him to his preferred destination of the Los Angeles Lakers. Now we’re learning just how much the Lakers were willing to send to Brooklyn to get Irving.

NBA reporter Marc Stein said last week that Tsai wanted to avoid trading Irving to the Lakers. On a podcast episode released Friday, Stein elaborated on the Lakers’ offer.

Stein said that the Nets’ asking price of the Lakers was much higher than their asking price for any other team.

“I was told the Nets asked from the Lakers way more than they asked from any other team for Kyrie and they didn’t just want the two first-round picks and (Russell) Westbrook. They wanted (Austin) Reaves, they wanted (Max) Christie, they wanted Rui Hachimura in a separate deal. They wanted everything the Lakers had, and I think they took less from the Mavs,” Stein said.

Instead of taking all that, the Nets took from the Mavericks Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and two second-round picks.

Is it possible that the Nets preferred what Dallas offered over what the Lakers offered? Or is it pretty unanimous that the Lakers’ offer was superior and Tsai just wanted to stick it to Irving after Irving was a pain in his rear for four years? Maybe we won’t find out, but it sure seems like Tsai had no interest in doing Irving any favors.