The Lakers remain active in trade talks and would part with their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in the right deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said in an appearance on Sports Center (video link).
Those picks “have a lot of value in the marketplace” if they’re unprotected, Wojnarowski states. He adds that L.A. would be willing to give them up in a trade for Kyrie Irving, but the Nets haven’t been interested.
The Lakers have also engaged in “on and off again” talks with the Pacers about Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, sources tell Wojnarowski, but L.A. wouldn’t trade both future first-rounders in that deal.
Russell Westbrook would have to be included in either trade with Brooklyn or Indiana to help match salaries.
The Lakers are hoping to add outside shooting and size before the regular season begins in October, per Wojnarowski. However, holding on to their draft picks gives them the ability to do something later in the season if a better opportunity arises.
Woj also addresses LeBron James‘ decision to accept a contract extension, saying it eases the pressure on the front office to make a trade right away. He adds that James decided to take the extension after examining the free agent market in 2023 and not seeing a scenario he prefers to staying with the Lakers.
Westbrook sacrificed in June and opt in contract in June
This sacrifice is not good for Lakers
Turner and Hield
1 unprotected
1 top-5 protected
If Lakers sign free agent superstars in 2027, Pacers can have 25th-30th picks
Westbrook didn’t make any sacrifices. He thinks he is still worth a max contract
Sillivan is trying to tell you that the Lakers sacrificed Westbrook in June, that’s just a body double you see now.
Did they burn him at the stake or something?
We’re the gods pleased with the Westbrook sacrifice?
Not sure about the gods, but after last season it probably went along way towards appeasing LeBron.
And Rob Lowe is the acting GM.
Maybe that’s why he wears skirts to the arena. It’s really his doppelganger just trying to embarrass him. Maybe that explains all the clutch time turnovers and boneheaded plays too.
Brickbrook has a top 5 salary. Opting in to get paid $47 mil is the opposite of sacrifice.
If anyone wants both of those 1st’s and Russ (I know, I know), you better do it before the season starts. No point in keeping Russ for half a season and then trade 2 picks with him.
Nets should pull the trigger but they are too high on their own ego staring down Durrant.
No the Nets are not about to accept two 1’st round picks at the bottom and take more in salary just because you want your Lakers to get Kyrie. We gave up ALOT for KD and he did sign a 4 year contract. Therefore he has no leverage. He could sit out. Retire, hand out with the milkshake king James Harden, play with JT, all that other stuff. But in the end. He signed a 4 year contract. Therefore he isn’t going nowhere. We do not benefit from trading KD for picks and role players because the Rockets own our next five picks. I agree with Joe Tasi here.
The Nets are not getting a Rudy haul. Ingram, brown are off the board. Go for Maxey, Philly is all in.
Maxey? He’s perhaps the most underrated upcoming star on the league. There’s no way they’re trading him right now.
Maxey? Yea right. Unless we are getting Barnes, Ingraham, Booker. He won’t be traded.
Nobody’s asking for KD Lakers want Kyrie Irving which the nets gave up nothing for came to the team for free LOL. Lakers are the one that gave up a lot for Russell Westbrook they gave KCP, Kuzma and Trez also a first round pick trading Russell Westbrook and two first rounds is a total of three first round Lakers are giving up for Kyrie and three players so yes they want something in return too and those two first round picks are probably more valuable than anyone else’s first round picks out there because we can be trash in those years so yes the nets are delusional no matter what they do it’s the biggest disaster in the NBA right now in the nets organization LOL
Again since your LAKERS are probably the second best NBA team in town and need to be bailed out here. The NETS don’t HAVE to trade Kyrie right now. It benefits yall because you get Kyrie. However, yes I’m a Nets fan it dosent benefit us. We aren’t delusional. Teams in around the trading deadline who feel that are close or who have injuries that are close will get desperate. Heck the Nets can turn around and offer him a max during the season if he just shows up and plays. Also, if anyone is crazy. It’s the team who wants to trade a player who’s on the decline. Sorry Lakers fan your stuck with Westbrook.
17 chips Wake up bro Kyrie or no Kyrie to the Lakers so what we got Westbrook one season like you’ve got Kyrie for one season so what 17 chips and we are still the big dogs in la not the chippers both New York and Brooklyn ain’t crap in the league you are just right now till you’re not back to the same old New Jersey nets you’re the same as the clippers right now better team than New York still debatable in LA comes to being healthy in a Laker uniform comes to being healthy in a clipper uniform tells the tale you’re delusional bro LOL
@ bill-bellamy:
Why would the Nets want Brickbrook, THT, whoever else it would take to offload Kyrie’s 36 mil??
Kyrie is kind of like a Westbrook problem right now except he’s younger and better than Westbrook that’s all no one wants him either LOL SO trading two players for each other that no one else in the NBA wants both should cut their losses and move on they will both be distractions on their teams nets have Kyrie and KD as distractions this season
Kyrie hasn’t been a distraction. He hasn’t asked for a trade. He didn’t go to management and say twice hey I want out like KD is doing. He’s going about his business and just playing ball. If he plays 72 plus games and balls out. The Nets should give him the Max. Why he’s 30 years old and when you trade KD if you can get a Jaylen Brown, or Scottie Barnes, to see how he plays with Kyrie you can get younger.
It really depends on the Nets’ mindset. If they are content with running with a possibly disgruntled Kyrie and a KD that doesn’t want to be there, then yeah there’s no reason to want 2 1sts and Westbrook.
But if they trade Durrant, they may as well trade Kyrie since he only has 1 year left and most likely won’t resign with KD gone. May as well get a massive expiring contract and 2 picks out of that situation.
Explain how we are supposed to be good again if we never have first-rounders?
The Lakers will be good again when they sign Trae Young and Karl Anthony Towns in the 2027 off-season
If KAT is going somewhere it’s either to the Kincks, or Nets. He is a New Yorker.
Incorrect. He’s from Jersey and no NY’er in their right mind would ever acknowledge a Jersey boy is a NY’er. Blasphemy.
He has family in NY. Stop it.
Free agency. We will have the Cap space. Won’t be the first time we did this
There was a time free agents shunned lakers for awhile ! Who can forget the Aldridge debacle and Durant not even meeting with them in 2016 ! If lakers are a joke players will avoid them until lakers give them a reason not to
They have a way better track record overall.
Especially if you count the guys that demanded to be traded there…
Yes trades are different but back then they had a abundance of trade assets! Now they have very little trade bait beyond those two picks ! Tht is a total non trade asset
Easy, the Lakers don’t build through the draft. They can’t. There are way too many other things to do in LA for a franchise to put a lackluster product on the court for half a decade while they rebuild. That’s what the Clippers used to do, and look how it worked out for them for so long. The Lakers don’t want to become the old Clippers.
They’ll tinker around the the margins through the LBJ & AD era, and when LeBron leaves/retires, they’ll reload in free agency because LA is a destination city. You don’t need to build via the draft in some markets.
They trade 5 years or more for the bubble title. That’s all they will be getting.
Yup but clippers probably won’t even get one for their gamble even though they make better and more sound moves then the lakers
What is with the “bubble title” thing? Every single team played under the same conditions. Every. Single. Team. I’m not even a Laker fan, but I don’t understand why people want to asterisk that title. It’s silly.
Nothing they did to win that title hurt them long-term, either. Their mistake coming off the title was trading every piece of depth they had for Westbrick.
Its the Christian way of being nice
Don’t understand why people talk about the bubble as if it isn’t a title the other 30 teams couldn’t handle the bubble period
Besides clipper fans shouldn’t talk until they win one chip LOL just a whole bunch of nothing going on in chipper land
Not giving up at least one lst rounder for taking on Westbrook’s contract? Then except nobody to trade for him then. It’s pretty plain and simple.
Where did it say they aren’t giving up 1 first rounder? I thought the hold up in the Pacers deal was giving up both
It’s simple math actually. The Lakers aren’t willing to include two first round picks for Turner + Hield + taking on Westbrooks’ salary. Turner + Hield are worth at least a first on their own, which means the Lakers aren’t willing to include a first to have a team take on Westbrook’s contract.
I believe it’s that the Lakers aren’t willing to give up unprotected draft picks for both of them. While Westbrook isn’t what he used to be, he’s still functional if he shoots less and plays like a Rondo. Lakers are better off waiting out the one year of his contract right now until the Nets budge and make the deal for the two unprotected picks, which I think they’ll eventually agree too. Irving has one year left, so what’s there to lose…
I wonder if the Nets/Lakers would do something like this:
Nets get: Westbrook + AD + 2 1st picks + 2 pick swap
Lakers get: Durant + Kyrie
This way, the nets gets rid from 2 headcase at one tried, picks 2 1st and most important get a star (AD).
Lakers on the other hand will have 3 stars including maybe 2 of the 10 best players in the world?
I believe the Nets would but don’t think the Lakers will. KD 34 and a head case. Add in Kyrie and we now have 2 head cases that can Plat when they want to. I rather have 1 (Kyrie). Kyrie, Bron and a healthy AD would be nice
Can’t see James and Durant playing together. Durant already had issues playing second fiddle to Curry.
No, AD is always hurt. I don’t know why the Nets haven’t trades him to Boston for Jaylen Brown.
If the Lakers wouldn’t immediately do that deal they’re even worse run than I thought.
2 little 2 late
Nobody trade them and make them suffer and have to stick with Westbrook hahahahahaha
Kyrie is a Net until Durant is not. Nothing moves until the shoe drops. Spida is included on this too. If KD is a Net at the start of the season the trade deadline will be a cold war as well. He’s the most valuable trade asset the NBA has maybe ever seen given the amount of picks teams are willing to give up now. The entire league is waiting for Kevin Durant. This is truly a players league.
KD signed a 4 year deal. The Nets don’t have to trade him.
Right but they do have to pay him. Doesn’t make too much sense to hand him a check for $45 million every year for nothing in return other than pride. I really hope Tsai doesn’t think he’s gonna be the one to change the zeitgeist by sticking it to KD
Just image what Danny Ainge would want for KD if he was on the Jazz in this situation.
Westbrook to the Thunder will happen before anything else. Lakers can pick up some picks and Bazely and sit till Jan 15th and see what’s available.
Westbrook to the thunder… I LAUGH at you
KD signed a 4 year deal. The Nets don’t have to trade him.
And the person with a gun to their head doesn’t “have” to do what the person pressing the gun to their head is demanding for them to do, see what I’m saying here??
Sure. Then he won’t get paid and the Nets recoup their investment.
Excatly he’s 34 years old. This contract goes till he’s 38. The Nets gave him the world. Now he needs to do his job.
Again he john Hancocked a 4 year deal. Then made demands to get his milkshake I’m not going to play buddy in James Harden and the Nets gave up FIVE first round draft picks along with three key players who were glue pecies in Allen, Levert, and Dinwiddie. He choose Steve Nash. Enough is enough.
You know what’s crazy Kyrie NEVER asked for a trade. If your the Nets. Trading KD for a peice that can fit with Kyrie isn’t bad at all. Like Jaylen Brown. Him and Jaylen Brown are close. Thats two young peices along with Ben Simmions. Not crazy what Sean Mark’s is thinking. Everyone thinking it’s the Lakers or bust. Not so sure about that. Unless Kyrie says he I’m not showing up.
You know what’s crazy? Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving.
Irving did ask for a trade in fact the Nets approved him to seek a sign and trade. It just seems no one wanted to sign him to the deal he wanted so he opted in and rescinded his request.
The lakers are a JOKE ever since winning their championship in 2020
They’ve been a joke since long before then, my friend
LMAO, 1st round Picks in what yr ?? When, 2 decades from now, lol ?? LA has traded almost every pick from now til the end of the century !!
KI goes nowhere until the KD situation is resolved (or left unresolved but with it being clear he won’t be suiting up for the Nets). Those LAL picks look good on paper (if unprotected), unless of course KD returns to play for the team and they fall short because they lacked a second go to guy.