Less than two weeks into the NBA offseason, we’ve already seen the emergence and (likely) demise of the “Kyrie Irving to the Los Angeles Lakers”.
Four days later, Irving appeared to change his mind and declared his desire to accept a $36.5 million player option to remain in Brooklyn for the 2022–2023 season.
Kyrie Irving Nets Negotiation
It’s probably impossible to rule anything out in the bizarre world of the NBA summer, but for the time being, let’s assume Kyrie Irving and LeBron James won’t be working together again.
L.A. must therefore consider other options in order to change the status quo (running it back after missing the playoffs in 2022 feels like a terrible idea).
It will have access to the taxpayer’s $6.4 million beginning salary mid-level exception. And that might actually go a long way during summer when there isn’t a lot of cap space available.
The LA Lakers’ troubles with Kyrie Irving are over now that the point guard has chosen to sign a $36.5 million player option with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets reportedly rejected a trade proposal from LA that included Russell Westbrook.
Malik Monk is prepared to accept a contract from the Hollywood squad that may be somewhat less than what he is anticipating from other teams.
He stated that a key factor in his decision about free-agency will be his degree of comfort.
The LA Lakers’ pursuit of John Wall appears to be coming to an end. Wall and the Houston Rockets have reached an agreement on a buyout, and the point guard will allegedly sign with the LA Clippers following that.
Yes, the Lakers will probably need to reorganize, but they can do it through trade. Malik Monk, a floor spacer, was one of the few shining stars of the previous season.
Los Angeles would probably have to sign him using his mid-level taxpayer exemption since he has only been a Laker for a year without access to his Bird rights, which Monk is amenable to.
Monk averaged 13.8 points and 2.3 threes per game while shooting 39.1 percent from outside the arc last year.
And that ability to clear obstacles was demonstrated in more contexts than just the conventional box score.
The Lakers were losing 0.1 points per 100 possessions when Monk and LeBron were on the same court. When you consider that they were down 4.3 when LeBron played without Monk, that doesn’t sound ideal.
It’s possible that greater personalities will wager the $6.4M in Los Angeles, but it could be worse than bringing Monk back.
The Charlotte Hornets are a franchise that purportedly had “real” interest in Russell Westbrook, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
It seems horrible to pair him with LaMelo Ball and take control away from the young All-Star, so perhaps obtaining inducements from the Lakers to remove Westbrook off their hands is the objective.
A year without selections against Russ may be acceptable if Hayward’s deal, which will pay him $61.6 million over the next two seasons, is deemed to be too onerous.
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