LeBron James lobbying hard to get Kyrie Irving on the Lakers
Source: Marc Stein @ marcstein.substack.com
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
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If it ends up being Kyrie+Harris for Westbrook+Nunn, I hope the Lakers sneak Wenyen Gabriel in there to create a roster spot.
Ideally, I’d want three left for the following:
– A point guard (Dennis Schroder?)
– A big (Thomas Bryant? Serge Ibaka?)
– A forward (Kessler Edwards?) – 5:16 PM
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I really just don’t want to find out the Mavs are actually in on Kyrie. – 3:50 PM
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What’s next for KD and Kyrie (and thus LeBron) … plus a long look at the Jazz, West vs. East and much more … all via the latest This Week In Basketball column freshly dispatched worldwide: marcstein.substack.com/p/kd-kyrie-and… – 2:48 PM
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Do the Jazz now have enough to just trade for KD, Kyrie, and Simmons? pic.twitter.com/W8dOs22qOZ – 2:06 PM
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And if I’m sending Kyrie to LA, the deal is this or nothing at all
And you can beat that with a baseball bat pic.twitter.com/5lIEdUdgNY – 1:59 PM
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I 🙏🏾 for my city today! – 12:57 PM
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If the Lakers pass on the Kyrie-Westbrook b/c they refuse to take back Joe Harris, who only has two relatively affordable years left on his contract and (assuming he’s healthy) would a perfect fit playing alongside LeBron – that’s would be major mistake – 11:48 AM
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According to Shams, the Sixers are ‘suitors’ for Kyrie Irving. But @PaulHudrick reported Sunday the Sixers are ‘not actively pursuing’ Irving, and their odds of landing Gordon are low.
But they *should* be pursuing both.
bit.ly/3bMPSJE – 11:44 AM
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The idea of trading for Kyrie Irving is great until he does something that makes you remember why you ever had reservations about it in the first place. – 11:00 AM
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Sunday Insider: Rejected by Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, Knicks likely are better off newsday.com/sports/columni… via @Newsday – 10:32 AM
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Amid the Kyrie Irving-Russell Westbrook trade talks report, odds on the #Lakers winning the 2022-23 championship have dropped roughly in half. Saw them at 24-1 three days ago. Seeing them at 11-1 to 13-1 this morning. #Nets now 36-1, gaining ground on #Knicks (120-1). – 10:05 AM
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The most likely Kyrie/Westbrook trade (in my opinion)
Lakers – get Kyrie and Joe Harris
Nets – get Russ, Kendrick Nunn and draft compensation – 9:29 AM
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GAME THEORY PODCAST: @FearTheBrown is here! We do a deep dive on the first 2.5 days of free agency.
-Gobert trade!
-Russ for Kyrie?
-Brogdon trade!
-Free agency, including POR, NYK, MIL, GSW, more
-More KD trades
APPLE: https://t.co/hIOdTGnsom
WATCH: https://t.co/wS0FZWAP7o pic.twitter.com/DSAkffSASY – 8:55 AM
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Sixers & Kyrie Irving?
@Shams Charania pic.twitter.com/lABNQJ0UcQ – 8:28 AM
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Lakers, Nets discussing Kyrie Irving-Russell Westbrook trade
sportando.basketball/en/lakers-nets… – 2:17 AM
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Putting aside the Harden beef, I sort of think the Sixers would’ve just traded Ben Simmons for Kyrie Irving like nine months ago if he was someone they were really interested in. – 11:24 PM
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GAME THEORY PODCAST: Free Agency/Trades Deep Dive with @FearTheBrown!
-Gobert Trade
-Kyrie for Russ?
-Brogdon trade!
-Brunson, 76ers, Blazers,
-More KD trade speculation!
GOING LIVE NOW: https://t.co/EoI3MTeT0h pic.twitter.com/tEg6zg3lNq – 11:18 PM
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All of the “Lakers are getting Kyrie” panic tweeters: it’s been five years since Kyrie didn’t either get hurt or flame out of the postseason, AD is coming off lower leg injuries in back to back seasons, and I’m pretty sure LeBron turns 50 during this year – 10:45 PM
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Me – when I realized Kyrie couldn’t be traded for Westbrook straight up because the Nets need to send out more money to make the deal work pic.twitter.com/0fmqDK7ZHV – 10:44 PM
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So according to the current news cycle, Russell Westbrook might be rejoining Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, however briefly, and Kyrie Irving might be rejoining James Harden in Philadelphia. Yeahhhhh, it’s bed time. – 10:41 PM
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Now, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went to Los Angeles
Then, LeBron James went to Los Angeles
And we know that Anthony Davis went to Los Angeles
And JR Smith went to Los Angeles
And now Lonnie Walker IV went to Los Angeles
Why would the Lakers do that? pic.twitter.com/Qt1323GJf6 – 9:32 PM
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It’s pretty crazy to think that the Nets went from having three legit superstars (KD, Kyrie, Harden) to potentially having none before the start of next season.
A superstar trio that scared the rest of the league to a potential rebuild. NBA is wild these days! – 9:05 PM
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Lakers, Nets reportedly “actively engaged” in Irving for Westbrook trade talks nba.nbcsports.com/2022/07/02/lak… – 8:39 PM
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Where do we think Russell Westbrook goes if he’s bought out by Brooklyn in a Kyrie Irving trade?
Washington would’ve been my guess before Morris and Wright. Dallas as a low-minutes backup with their spacing bigs beside him? Maybe Charlotte because of the Jordan connection? – 8:17 PM
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3-pointers in the last 2 seasons:
252 — Kyrie
168 — Westbrook + Simmons pic.twitter.com/0wDRnUropa – 8:07 PM
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Going from KD, Kyrie and Harden to Ben Simmons, Russ Westbrook and Royce O’Neal in the span of six months is, um… not great
#ScaryHours – 8:04 PM
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If Durant gets traded, they may never step in the same locker room; they may never cross paths at the practice facility. I don’t know what BKN would decide with Westbrook. But if a Russ-for-Kyrie deal happens first, for a brief, fleeting moment Russ & KD would be back together. – 7:55 PM
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Wait wait wait…the Lakers think they’re in a position to ask for more in a trade for Kyrie?? – 7:49 PM
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The Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are actively engaged in trade discussions centered on a Russell Westbrook-Kyrie Irving package, league sources tell @YahooSports: sports.yahoo.com/sources-lakers… – 7:39 PM
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ICYMI, Friday’s @LockedOnLakers podcast! We react to free agency so far with the Lakers, and the latest rumors linking Kyrie (and even KD???) to L.A. @LockedOnNetwork @LockedOnNBAPods
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lak… – 6:29 PM
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Popper: Rejected by Kyrie, KD, Knicks better off
Duo would have brought talent and headaches to Madison Square Garden. newsday.com/sports/columni… – 6:28 PM
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The Lakers added youth and athleticism this week. This roster makes more sense than last season’s.
But size (only four players above 6-6) and 3-point shooting (only LeBron shot better than the league average 3PT% last season) remain notable deficiencies: theathletic.com/3395994/2022/0… – 12:38 PM
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Seven teams in the West look like strong playoff bets: Phoenix, Golden State, LA Clippers, Memphis, Denver, Dallas and likely Minnesota.
New Orleans will be better. Lakers have LeBron/AD. Portland, Sacramento want in badly. TBD on Utah.
Very competitive in the West right now. – 5:02 PM
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David Fizdale, LeBron and Heat Culture #miamiheat si.com/nba/heat/miami… – 4:04 PM
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This is shaping up to be the best non-LeBron offseason in recent history. – 4:03 PM
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Worked with My dude @Dan Woike for this in @latimessports on: Kyrie Irving still in the Lakers’ picture to rejoin LeBron James latimes.com/sports/lakers/… – 1:04 PM
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Lots to get into on the Lakers and possibly getting Kyrie Irving and reuniting him with LeBron James. I’ll discuss that & more on @NBATV with @NabilKarimTV, @Greg Anthony & Ryan McDonough. Tune in at 9:30 am PT on.nba.com/32wcN7b – 12:01 PM
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the timestamps for the latest @HardwoodKnocks look like lebron’s ig stories (flipped vertically) pic.twitter.com/OERg1qiXoi – 4:38 AM
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Players to average 25/5/5 in a season before turning 23:
Oscar Robertson
Michael Jordan
Tracy McGrady
LeBron James
Luka Doncic
Ja Morant. pic.twitter.com/QfvuAIjxKr – 12:10 AM
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Maybe LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh deserve more credit for holding their super team together since every other “super” team has at some point been a dumpster fire – 10:57 PM
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Does the Kevin Durant trade request in Brooklyn give a Kyrie Irving-LeBron James reunion in Laker Land new life? All the answers here, with @Jovan Buha, at @TheAthletic
theathletic.com/3394038/2022/0… – 9:39 PM
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Lakers on current roster:
7 – Klutch clients
6 – non-Klutch clients
LeBron, AD, THT, JTA, Nunn, Brown Jr., Lonnie Walker
That doesn’t include Summer League guys like Scotty Pippen Jr. – 8:51 PM
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JaVale McGee has played with some elite talent:
LeBron James
Anthony Davis
Steph Curry
Klay Thompson
Draymond Green
Kevin Durant
Nikola Jokic
Devin Booker
Chris Paul
Dirk Nowitzki
And now, Luka Doncic. pic.twitter.com/JW2sI7Cnb8 – 7:51 PM
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Lonnie Walker’s defensive metrics last season:
D-RAPTOR: -1.8
D-EPM: -0.8
D-LEBRON: -1.85
DRPM: -4.79 (119th out of 123 SGs)
So… yea… he needs to work on his defense. But he’s athletic and he has a 6’10” wingspan, so maybe that’s fixable. – 7:38 PM
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LAL roster:
Troy Brown Jr.
Anthony Davis
Wenyen Gabriel
Talen Horton-Tucker
LeBron James
Stanley Johnson
Damian Jones
Kendrick Nunn
Austin Reaves
Lonnie Walker IV
Russell Westbrook
4 roster spots to fill. Minimum Exception is all they have left. 1 spot will go to Max Christie. – 7:07 PM
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Now on @njdotcom
NBA rumors: Kyrie Irving wants to re-join LeBron James with the Lakers ‘as soon as he possibly can’ nj.com/sports/2022/06… – 5:20 PM
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A team with young talent, a cache of draft picks and a GM unafraid to take big swings: Minnesota. ‘Wolves won’t be on Durant’s wish list, but I’m interested to see if Tim Connelly, who once eyed LeBron in Denver, gets into the mix. – 4:22 PM
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One of many things affecting Heat’s Durant chances – and this organization lives for moments like this (Zo, Shaq, LeBron) – is whether Ayton would be agreeable to go to Brooklyn. If not, Heat could put together better offer, even without Bam. – 4:08 PM
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LeBron & AD, PG13 & Kawhi, and KD & Kyrie teamed up in the same Summer.
The Lakers have been largely pilloried by the media in this era. They also won a Championship.
Meanwhile, KD/Kyrie & Kawhi/PG13 played a combined ZERO (0) Finals, or even Conference Finals, games together. – 3:31 PM
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Durant playoff win% with Steph:
— 78.6%
Kyrie playoff win% with LeBron:
— 75.0%
Durant playoff win% with Kyrie:
— 46.2% pic.twitter.com/jzuyz7632n – 3:26 PM
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Kevin Durant ranks 4th all-time in points per game and 1st among active players. He has averaged 25 points in every season of his career except his rookie year.
Most Career PPG
Michael Jordan: 30.1
Wilt Chamberlain: 30.1
Elgin Baylor: 27.4
Kevin Durant: 27.2
LeBron James: 27.1 – 3:24 PM
More on this storyline
Keith Smith: Talking to some folks around the NBA, it sounds like some of the better free agents on the board are waiting to see what happens with KD and Kyrie trades. One agent told me: “Some teams might need to fill a lot of rotation minutes after a trade. We can be patient for now.” -via Twitter @KeithSmithNBA / July 3, 2022 Nick Wright: Not sure what’s been reported elsewhere this morning, but I can report definitively that the Sixers are not and have not been engaged in trade talks for Kyrie this offseason. There’s no appetite for him in Philly. The Lakers are the Nets only current suitor. -via Twitter @getnickwright / July 3, 2022 ClutchPoints: While Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving trade rumors swirl, Ben Simmons’ Instagram has just been deactivated  -via Twitter @ClutchPointsApp / July 3, 2022 James Boyd: I asked Bennedict Mathurin about his viral LeBron James quote in @Ben Golliver’s story (https://t.co/6H5NP11nGy): “I think he’s the best player to ever play the game. … But me just coming into the league, I won’t say anybody’s better than me. That’s me being confident.” #Pacers pic.twitter.com/v1i8cQa2ke -via Twitter @RomeovilleKid / July 1, 2022 With the Brooklyn Nets about to blow up their roster in the wake of Kevin Durant’s trade demand Thursday, Kyrie Irving appears on his way out the door, too. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reported on air Thursday that Irving wants to re-join LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers “as soon as he possibly can.” “He’s been telling people he wants to be in L.A., he’s been telling people he wants to wear the same uniform that Kobe Bryant once wore,” Smith said. -via Newark Star-Ledger / June 30, 2022 Clutch Points: “They could contend, but they won’t beat us.” 🗣️ Draymond Green on a possible Kyrie Irving/LeBron James reunion with the Lakers (via @lucas_shaw) pic.twitter.com/L2OGMYcwVd -via Twitter @ClutchPointsApp / June 26, 2022