The Los Angeles Lakers have set themselves up to get a third superstar to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis, even though the more prudent move would probably be to build out the depth the team so sorely needs to contend.
But if the team is going all in and using their cap space on one player, the best choice is Kyrie Irving … and it’s the best choice for the star point guard, too.
According to the New York Times’ Marc Stein, that’s what the Lakers are thinking despite the fact that Irving and the Nets have been linked for what feels like a month:
Back in February, I wrote about why an Irving and LeBron reunion was a fantastic idea, and it still holds true: Irving tried his hand at being the alpha with the Boston Celtics, which crashed and burned. There’s nothing wrong with that failure — sometimes, you figure out your role by making mistakes. Given that James has won a ring with Irving, they know what makes each other tick. Irving can let James answer all the tough questions from the media and subtweet weird things to motivate their teammates. In exchange, Irving can be the same ball-handler and shooter he was in Cleveland with James:
Imagine the floor spacing! If the idea is to build a three-point shooting machine, it makes too much sense to pair Kyle Kuzma, The Brow, Bron and Kyrie together, with James and Irving driving and kicking too.
The depth issue is still a problem … but if Kemba Walker is off the table and Kawhi Leonard wants to stay in Toronto or go to the other Los Angeles franchise, why not shove all your chips in on a known quantity who we know can fit in?
