The Lakers missed Irving's real reason for being exposed: refused to renew his contract for 4 years and did not want to send Reaves + Christie at the same time

2024-05-31 07:24:46

The Lakers missed Irving's real reason for being exposed: refused to renew his contract for 4 years and did not want to send Reaves + Christie at the same time

Rowe said the NBA

2024-05-31 07:08Posted in Fujian Sports Creators

Lakers reporter Buha revealed on the show why the team failed to trade Irving. The Lakers wanted to trade Irving from the Nets, but in the end, the Nets and the Mavericks made a deal. Now, Irving and Doncic have led the team to the Western Conference finals, leading the Timberwolves 3-1 in the overall score.

The Lakers missed Irving's real reason for being exposed: refused to renew his contract for 4 years and did not want to send Reaves + Christie at the same time

Buha said that the first reason why the Lakers failed to trade Irving was the uncertainty of Irving's contract extension, and the two sides could not reach an agreement. Irving was expected to be an unrestricted free agent in the 2023 offseason, and given the uncertainty surrounding him, the Lakers only wanted to offer him a short-term contract of around $80 million over two years. And after Irving's contract expired that season, he wanted to seek a four-year long-term contract.

Considering Irving's previous problems, the Lakers are a little uneasy about his future, so they are reluctant to offer a long-term contract. The Mavericks later did not offer a four-year contract after acquiring Irving, and the two sides signed a three-year, $126 million contract.

The second reason why the Lakers failed to trade Irving was that the Lakers didn't want to add Reaves and Christie to the trade at the same time. They didn't want to give up what they thought were two of their most valuable young assets for a player who could leave in the summer, and in terms of the Lakers' roster at the time, Lakers executives really valued both. This was another factor in the collapse of the Irving trade.

Buha said the third reason is that the Nets are reluctant to add any role player-related chips to the trade with the Lakers because they want to keep Durant on the spot, but Durant later requested a trade.

The Lakers missed out on getting Irving, but there are reports that they still see Irving as a potential target for the future. However, Irving has now found a tacit understanding with Doncic, leading the team to the Western Conference finals and has a good chance of reaching the Finals. It was widely believed that Irving would not leave Dallas.

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