The Los Angeles Lakers were very busy during the offseason this year.
But for all their hard work, the team wasn’t able to formulate a major trade that shook things up.
Now that their roster is set, it’s time to hear the inside scoop about the trades that the Lakers were trying to make over the last few months.
The Lakers were prepared to include their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in a deal for Kyrie Irving or Donovan Mitchell, per @mcten on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective Podcast pic.twitter.com/77FKVu9xlh
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 27, 2022
According to Brian Windhorst, LA was prepared to include both their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks for Kyrie Irving or Donovan Mitchell.
It was known that both Irving and Mitchell were on the trade block, although only one of them ended up leaving their team.
The Lakers would have been more than happy to land either of their players but both the Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz said a polite “no, thank you” when Los Angeles came calling.
What Could Have Been
Irving could have really transformed the Lakers.
Mitchell also would have given the team a major boost too.
But both the Nets and Jazz weren’t willing to part with these stars for only draft picks.
Instead, they want some sizable win-now talent, which the Lakers don’t really have.
Of course, LA would have offered Russell Westbrook to either team but he wouldn’t be worth it for the Nets or Jazz, especially after the season he just had.
In the end, the Lakers likely knew that their draft pick packages wouldn’t be enough but they were attempting to convince either team to make a trade happen.
Eventually, Irving would return to the Nets and Mitchell would be sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers in one of the biggest trades of the summer.
As for the Lakers, they are starting the year with a roster that looks much like the one they had last year.
But at least they still have their future draft picks.
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