Kyrie Irving Trade Rumors: Lakers Previously Explored ‘Possibility’ of Deal

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The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly had internal discussions about the “possibility” of trading for Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving early this season.

Ian Begley of SNY reported that those talks occurred while Irving, who is unvaccinated against COVID-19, sat out the early portion of the 2021-22 campaign after the Nets stated on Oct. 12 that he would not play with the team until he was eligible to become a “full participant.”

Per Begley:

“But some members of the Lakers organization discussed the possibility of trading for Irving during that stretch of the season, sources say. 

“The deal would have obviously reunited Irving with LeBron James. It’s unclear if the Lakers reached any internal consensus on Irving at the time. And it doesn’t really matter at this point. Given where Brooklyn is at the moment, it would be surprising if the club didn’t sign Irving to a multi-year extension/new contract this summer as it continues to pursue a title.”

At the time, Irving could play most road games, but he was ineligible to play home games in Brooklyn because of New York City’s vaccine mandate.

Irving sat until Jan. 5, when the Nets changed course as the team lost a multitude of players because of injury or entrance into the league’s health-and-safety protocols.

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

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