“The whole NBA just saw this movie” — Zach Lowe shuts down the idea the Los Angeles Lakers could trade for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis
© Brad Penner and Raj Mehta - USA TODAY Sports
Good morning. No, it wasn’t just a wild dream - Kevin Durant asked for a trade, and chaos ensued. Out of all the wild reactions and first takes, Brian Windhorst won the night. Windy had to bring it up but had a mini-breakdown just trying to say it out on air. What if KD and Kyrie wanted to stay together? The comedy value of this clip is through the roof.
Would you bet your life on it?
The insane part about NBA free agency is that we’ve seen so much wild sh**t happen that I wouldn’t bet my life there’s no way KD and Kyrie to the Lakers doesn’t happen. Would you?
If you have any understanding of the salary cap, you understand this would mean Westbrook and one other superstar would have to go to Brooklyn for this. Everyone seems to agree Anthony Davis would be the guy. Let’s see what the trade machine says.
First things first - is it possible KD still wants to hitch his wagon to Kyrie? He’s been blindly loyal so far, so why the hell not? Less than a week ago, Durant’s comment on the Kyrie saga was that the Nets didn’t put in enough work to understand Kyrie. Nuff said.
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But while Durant may have some leverage in his individual trade request, there’s no way he can pull a” I’ll be happy only if Kyrie is coming with me.” Why would any team do that?
“The whole NBA just saw this movie. We just watched it! The two of them picked their destination, and this is what happened. Why would any team be like ”Let's do that again”??”
Zach Lowe, The Lowe Post
I agree if you presume NBA front offices are rational actors. But I don’t give that courtesy to a front office that traded all its depth to bring in Russell Westbrook as the final piece of a championship roster in 2022. If there’s one thing the Lakers love, it’s drama and big names. LeBron, Durant, and Kyrie? Is there anything more Lakers than that?
But, it takes two to tango, and it seems the Nets have learned their lesson. They put their foot down with KD and Kyrie and seemingly have no interest in superstars who overvalue their production and status. If you watched the clip to the end, you saw cap expert (and former Brooklyn Nets executive) Bobby Marks confirm this position.
“Well, that’s not realistic. I don’t think Sean Marks [Nets GM] would answer the phone guys, come on. He’s not answering the phone for Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis.”
Big picture
Let’s take a breath and step back a bit. If Woj and Windhorst floated the idea, it’s because someone brought it up to them. Possibly someone from KD’s or Kyrie’s camp testing the waters. That’s the NBA we live in. Someone thought it’s actually possible to blow up the Nets after three disastrous years and still have their way.
Here’s another fun fact for you. The owners and the players will probably start negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement this year. There’s a new gigantic TV deal on the horizon, and if you think owners are pissed about paying players a quarter of a billion dollars and then live in constant anxiety of trade requests and quasi-intellectual Instagram posts, wait until that numbers double.
The way this whole thing develops won’t just impact the NBA for the next year or two. It will set the tone for the next decade. Get ready for talks of a lockout.
