The Los Angeles Lakers have always been interested in acquiring star players.
Now that they have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, many thought the Lakers would land Kyrie Irving.
Despite pursuing him at the trade deadline, Irving was sent to the Dallas Mavericks instead.
The Lakers proceeded to make many different trades acquiring solid role players.
Since Irving is a free agent this summer, it seems like a lock that the Lakers would be interested in acquiring his services.
But, they will not have the cap space to do so.
According to Jovan Buha, the Lakers are unlikely to pursue Irving due to a lack of salary cap space.
The Lakers are unlikely to pursue Kyrie Irving due to lack of salary cap space, per @jovanbuha
The Lakers would need to renounce the free agent rights of D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura, decline Malik Beasley’s team option and waive Jarred Vanderbilt and Mo Bama to create… pic.twitter.com/rBpJEo5kAh
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) March 22, 2023
The only way they could land Irving is if they lose all the players they acquired at the deadline.
LA might be better off not having Irving, as the other role players fit their team better.
We have seen their team make drastic improvements defensively, and that is mostly due to their newest acquisitions.
If the Lakers can stay healthy next season, there is no question they should be a playoff team.
They built a roster that fits in nicely with James and Davis, with fewer star players and more solid role options.
It will be interesting to see what happens to the Lakers if they can get into the playoffs.
James is expected to return near the very end of the season, and he should be full-go by the playoffs.
While the Lakers do not seem to be a championship threat, they can cause some problems for teams in the playoffs.
NEXT: NBA Insider Says A 'Significant' Contract Is Brewing For 1 Lakers Player
