Lakers: Nets Grant Kyrie Irving Permission to Explore Sign-and-Trade Options
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The Kyrie Irving plot continues to thicken. After an interesting week of developments, this Monday started with a Kyrie-Woj bomb reporting that the Lakers are the lone team interested in exploring a sign-and-trade for the seven-time All-Star guard.
The sign-and-trade scenarios are complex, but if Kyrie elects not to pick up his player option for next season before the Wednesday deadline, a sign-and-trade to the Lakers could be in the works.
Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News reported that the Brooklyn front office is allowing Kyrie to have conversations with teams about potential sign-and-trade scenarios.
"While Nets GM Sean Marks and superstar forward Kevin Durant have yet to speak this offseason, Irving’s camp has requested and received permission from the Nets to speak with other teams about sign-and-trade packages, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation."
Winfield's report is yet another detail from a wild week-plus of Kyrie Irving news that all started with The Athletic's Shams Charania report last Monday that contract extensions talks between Irving and Brooklyn were at an "impasse".
A few sentences later, Charania reported a list of three teams, which grew to seven later in the week, that Kyrie would be interested in playing for if an extension with Brooklyn couldn't be reached.
The Lakers appear to be actively angling for Irving and based on recent reports, the feeling is somewhat mutual.
The next few days of NBA chatter will continue to center around Kyrie Irving and a possible reunion with LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers.
