Update: The Nets have traded Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, ending this latest saga.
Original story follows below.
What started as a small rumor that felt like a minute possibility surrounding Kyrie Irving and the Lakers blossomed into something much bigger and a far greater reality over the course of the summer, and may continue into the Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline.
Initially, a report in late June linked Kyrie Irving to the Lakers in free agency and served as the first rumblings of trouble in the waters in Brooklyn. Irving himself turned everything on its head by going from a passing bystander to an active participant in finding a new team this offseason.
After flirting with the idea of joining the Lakers via the taxpayer mid-level exception — something that never really felt realistic — Irving made the shocking decision to not take a $30 million pay cut and opted into the final year of his contract, seemingly putting an end to the possibility this season.
But days later, Kevin Durant made a trade request and shook the NBA landscape. With him no longer committed to the franchise, Irving became an available player once more and the Lakers were reportedly the only team interested. Durant later rescinded his trade request and Irving played well enough to make an All-Star game for the Nets, but now that the team isn’t offering him a contract extension, he reportedly wants out once again.
Got all that? Good.
Will the Lakers resume trade talks with the Nets in the wake of Irving’s trade request? Will they actually pull the trigger on a deal for the perpetually disgruntled bucket-getter? With the news set to update on a daily basis, here’s a place to track the latest updates on Kyrie, the Nets, the Lakers and any potential trade discussions.
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