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The Los Angeles Lakers have very limited resources to make significant roster signings this offseason in the aftermath of last year’s Russell Westbrook trade. However, L.A. could still acquire a new star — by leveraging a situation in which a disgruntled player forces a trade out of his current team, as might be the case with the Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving or the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal.
Latest reports claim the Purple and Gold have shown interest in both players. Theoretically, the Lakers have an easier path to trading for Irving or Beal than they do for Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine, an idea that came up a few weeks ago thanks to LaVar Ball’s big mouth.
First, Irving and Beal have player options in their contracts for 2022-23, a significant pressure point to use in negotiations with their respective teams. Second, their next year’s salaries are higher than LaVine’s, making it easier for the Lakers to put together a deal that would satisfy the CBA’s salary-matching rules.
Each of L.A.’s players on maximum contracts — LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook (with the latter widely expected to pick up his $47.1 million player option for 2022-23) — could work in a potential exchange for Irving or Beal. However, the possibility of the Lakers parting ways with Davis seems highly unlikely while ending the James era so soon borders on the impossible.
Expecting either Irving or Beal to sign with L.A. as free agents for less than $30 million in the first year of the contract looks just as improbable — not to mention the Purple and Gold would have to get rid of all the players besides James and Davis and take on no salary in exchange to free up those funds.
So let’s focus on how the Lakers could sign Irving or Beal by sending Westbrook the other way.