[HAYNES] Nets and Lakers actively talking Russ/Kyrie trade…

[JB2]

Westbrick and Ben Simmons on the same team… Lawd I’m praying for those backboards.

Nah, Westbrook doesn't hit backboard.

[Pointgod]

I’m surprised people are saying this is a good deal for the Lakers. Adding a single pick for Kyrie is a fail.

Kyrie's on court production is better than Westbrooks right now.

But I'm not sure if the Lakers should give up a first for that (so I tend to agree with you).

The problem with this assumption is that you can’t rely on Kyrie to be on the court. Whether it’s injuries, random sabbaticals or not playing because Mercury is in retrograde you can’t count on Kyrie to show up or be a good teammate. A one for one swap is just rearranging deck chairs on the titanic so who cares but giving up draft picks for a guy who no one else in the league wants is insanity.

[Free Rider]

The Lakers are so dumb for not saying yes already and insisting on Curry. They are never getting a better deal here even if it costs two firsts.

Eh, I prefer my GM to at least try to negotiate before acquiescing to every demand. Maybe the end up with the same deal but to simply accept the first offer off the bat is poor management and negotiating. They should absolutely test the waters and see if or how they can minimize the damage.

I'm going to give you $%100 dollars for free. Care to negotiate for more and chance I might move on to the next person and give it to them? That's what this is... This is some dumb **** if is real.

But who’s realistically the next person in this trade negotiation. By all accounts it’s essentially a market of one team so you’re basically negotiating against yourself. Also it’s not a no strings attached offer if you’re being asked to attach multiple picks or take on additional bad contracts. Personally I don’t see acquiring Irving as a no downside transaction for the Lakers so they should at least kick the tires and see if there’s a way to get a better deal especially when the likelihood of someone else swooping in with another offer is pretty slim.

[nbafan38]

Brooklyn’s really gonna bail the lakers out huh..

How can Kyrie be both worthless and capable of bailing a team out?

He still has high upside when he's actually on the court.

[Benedict_Boozer]

The Lakers are so dumb for not saying yes already and insisting on Curry. They are never getting a better deal here even if it costs two firsts.

Eh, I prefer my GM to at least try to negotiate before acquiescing to every demand. Maybe the end up with the same deal but to simply accept the first offer off the bat is poor management and negotiating. They should absolutely test the waters and see if or how they can minimize the damage.

I'm going to give you $%100 dollars for free. Care to negotiate for more and chance I might move on to the next person and give it to them? That's what this is... This is some dumb **** if is real.

Agree. Take the deal.

If Joe Harris can still stand in the corner and shoot, he is easily tradeable worst case scenario - dude shoots 50% from three

[baldur]

joe harris is better than seth curry and only under contract for two years. we should say yes to joe harris if the nets insist on him.

[Michael Jackson]

It is hilarious to watch the Lakers haters get their panties in a bunch over this. If this was any other team but the Lakers they would say an expiring contract, a first and getting off a bad contract for a player they don’t want is steal for the Nets. But it’s the Lakers so we see a bunch of dumb “the nets are letting the Lakers off the hook” or “I can’t believe the Nets are folding” comments. League execs don’t have the Lakers filling their head with hate like many of you do, they are just out to make a deal that is good for their team.

By the way I’m fairly certain this trade ends up being Harris and not Seth, and that THT may be included with that first and Westbrook.

I think it has to be 2 FRP's honestly. 3 is silly but it will be 2. I mean Gobert got 4 and he didn't require taking Russ and it was a bad situation. I do think that this move makes sense for all sides too. Lakers can legit make a run next year and Nets can retool. A few months ago I couldn't see anyway to get out under Russ now this finally makes sense, really for both sides. Lakers are clearly Win now fo the the 2 FRP's is fine (sucks yeah but WIN NOW)

The Lakers aren’t in this to bid against themselves. No other team is giving the Nets a first, much less take that extra year of Joe Harris that it’s obviously a priority for Nets FO to get rid of or they wouldn’t be pushing it.

But what is the Nets leverage here? Use Kyrie as salary ballast in the KD deal? So he gets sent to another team that is incentivized to take him and immediately works a buy out with him because they don’t want him around their young kids? So he signs with the Lakers for the vet minimum and the Lakers save both picks? Lakers say, sign me up for that scenario.

At least if you move him directly to the Lakers you get that pick and 2023 cap space. That’s a good deal for the Nets. Think you can do better? Good luck.

See can be said for the Lakers who is giving them anything for Russ? I get your side of it but Nets get the capspace just sitting Kyrie this year too which is likely what may happen with Russ on the Nets... It is literally LA's only bailout. The Nets can just sit or potentially someone else might trade them something for a year rental on Kyrie. No one is trading for Russ. Nets have the pole position in this

[eyeatoma]

Laker haters already in shambles and we’re only in the preliminary discussions phase. League is in big trouble if this actually goes through.

Lakers always get what they want surprise, surprise... Buying chips must be fun.

Sent from my SM-S908E using Tapatalk

I wondered when someone would post this. Sour grapes.

The Pau Gasol trade was the biggest croc. Kobe couldn't win on his own, so he bitched and moaned until he got a super team for pennies on the dollar.

[nbafan38]

I think it has to be 2 FRP's honestly. 3 is silly but it will be 2. I mean Gobert got 4 and he didn't require taking Russ and it was a bad situation. I do think that this move makes sense for all sides too. Lakers can legit make a run next year and Nets can retool. A few months ago I couldn't see anyway to get out under Russ now this finally makes sense, really for both sides. Lakers are clearly Win now fo the the 2 FRP's is fine (sucks yeah but WIN NOW)

The Lakers aren’t in this to bid against themselves. No other team is giving the Nets a first, much less take that extra year of Joe Harris that it’s obviously a priority for Nets FO to get rid of or they wouldn’t be pushing it.

But what is the Nets leverage here? Use Kyrie as salary ballast in the KD deal? So he gets sent to another team that is incentivized to take him and immediately works a buy out with him because they don’t want him around their young kids? So he signs with the Lakers for the vet minimum and the Lakers save both picks? Lakers say, sign me up for that scenario.

At least if you move him directly to the Lakers you get that pick and 2023 cap space. That’s a good deal for the Nets. Think you can do better? Good luck.

See can be said for the Lakers who is giving them anything for Russ? I get your side of it but Nets get the capspace just sitting Kyrie this year too which is likely what may happen with Russ on the Nets... It is literally LA's only bailout. The Nets can just sit or potentially someone else might trade them something for a year rental on Kyrie. No one is trading for Russ. Nets have the pole position in this

Yea agree the lakers need this trade to happen more than the nets do so in theory the nets should have leverage and getting what they want but we know when it comes to the lakers they have a way of getting what they want and also I don't trust this nets front office at all currently.

[ch434355]

Lakers always get what they want surprise, surprise... Buying chips must be fun.

Sent from my SM-S908E using Tapatalk

I wondered when someone would post this. Sour grapes.

The Pau Gasol trade was the biggest croc. Kobe couldn't win on his own, so he bitched and moaned until he got a super team for pennies on the dollar.

Marc Gasol ended up being very good, though

[NyKnicks1714]

I’m surprised people are saying this is a good deal for the Lakers. Adding a single pick for Kyrie is a fail.

Kyrie's on court production is better than Westbrooks right now.

But I'm not sure if the Lakers should give up a first for that (so I tend to agree with you).

They're going to have to, unless the Nets are content with dumping Harris. It's a risk for the Lakers, but it's one they absolutely have to take. I can think of a few other teams that should consider trading for Kyrie, but right now it's not looking like anyone wants to.

[JoseRizal]

Do the Nets want another season of Kyrie not playing OR being a distraction just to hold out hope that the Lakers are desperate for ANOTHER championship trophy?

And what are the Nets going to do with a net-negatiive like Westbrook? You're all acting like Westbrook is not a liability.

Kyrie is in the last year of a deal. That is not a positive for any team that trades for him. Westbrook being in the last year of his deal is a positive. You never know what Kyrie may do when he now has the added leverage of assets getting traded for his one year contract. The Nets don't have anything tied up into Kyrie besides false hope in winning a Chip that left with Harden.

It does for the Lakers, since it's Kyrie's preferred team. So it's a positive for them.

[jigga_man]

This is precisely why most fans do a terrible job of assessing value. Like some have already mentioned, Kyrie is a sunk cost to the Nets and therefore receiving anything of value for him in a trade should be considered a win. Dumping salary is a win for obvious reasons. Teams usually have to attach an asset in order to dump a toxic contract. Also receiving any picks (even a 2nd round pick) should be considered a win. Some of y’all are thinking about this all wrong. Why should the Nets even care if they make the Lakers better. Your premise is flawed in assuming that such a trade would achieve a zero sum result for the Nets. The last team that tried to capitalize on the Lakers perceived desperation requested a draft pick for an equally useless player; said player was bought out a few months later.

Kyrie for Westbrook and a 1st round pick is an absolute terrible deal for the Nets and a steal for the Lakers. The Nets would be paying 22 million dollars more (luxury tax included) just to take on Westbrook contract & perhaps a 1st round pick that wouldn't be in the lottery. Executives/GM's get fired for less.

Perhaps the Nets including Harris makes it less terrible but he was statistically the best 3pt shooter in the league the year before he got hurt. His value shouldn't be that low.

[hyper316]

A backcourt of Simmons and Westbrook is hilarious, one is afraid to shoot, the other can't shoot

[Jfh20]

man imagine trading for westbrick LOL.... talk about hitting rockbottom brooklyn.

[hoosierdaddy34]

I think it has to be 2 FRP's honestly. 3 is silly but it will be 2. I mean Gobert got 4 and he didn't require taking Russ and it was a bad situation. I do think that this move makes sense for all sides too. Lakers can legit make a run next year and Nets can retool. A few months ago I couldn't see anyway to get out under Russ now this finally makes sense, really for both sides. Lakers are clearly Win now fo the the 2 FRP's is fine (sucks yeah but WIN NOW)

The Lakers aren’t in this to bid against themselves. No other team is giving the Nets a first, much less take that extra year of Joe Harris that it’s obviously a priority for Nets FO to get rid of or they wouldn’t be pushing it.

But what is the Nets leverage here? Use Kyrie as salary ballast in the KD deal? So he gets sent to another team that is incentivized to take him and immediately works a buy out with him because they don’t want him around their young kids? So he signs with the Lakers for the vet minimum and the Lakers save both picks? Lakers say, sign me up for that scenario.

At least if you move him directly to the Lakers you get that pick and 2023 cap space. That’s a good deal for the Nets. Think you can do better? Good luck.

See can be said for the Lakers who is giving them anything for Russ? I get your side of it but Nets get the capspace just sitting Kyrie this year too which is likely what may happen with Russ on the Nets... It is literally LA's only bailout. The Nets can just sit or potentially someone else might trade them something for a year rental on Kyrie. No one is trading for Russ. Nets have the pole position in this

No it’s not. Please Nets, send him somewhere as salary ballast so he gets bought out. Lakers would love to save the picks and sign him for the vet minimum.

[JB2]

Lakers always get what they want surprise, surprise... Buying chips must be fun.

Sent from my SM-S908E using Tapatalk

I wondered when someone would post this. Sour grapes.

The Pau Gasol trade was the biggest croc. Kobe couldn't win on his own, so he bitched and moaned until he got a super team for pennies on the dollar.

Ahh yes because all champions in history won on their own.

And if by 'buying chips' you mean trading away their whole future, yup they're buying chips.

[JordansBulls]

man imagine trading for westbrick LOL.... talk about hitting rockbottom brooklyn.

Only Lebron has missed the playoffs playing with Westbrook.

[Dan Z]

I’m surprised people are saying this is a good deal for the Lakers. Adding a single pick for Kyrie is a fail.

Kyrie's on court production is better than Westbrooks right now.

But I'm not sure if the Lakers should give up a first for that (so I tend to agree with you).

The problem with this assumption is that you can’t rely on Kyrie to be on the court. Whether it’s injuries, random sabbaticals or not playing because Mercury is in retrograde you can’t count on Kyrie to show up or be a good teammate. A one for one swap is just rearranging deck chairs on the titanic so who cares but giving up draft picks for a guy who no one else in the league wants is insanity.

He missed games last year because of the vaccine stuff. This year won't be the same with that issue.

The previous year he played in 54 games.

In a playoff series (when it really matters) would you rather have Irving or Westbrook?

Also keep in mind a few more things:

Both players are on expiring contracts so neither team is making a long term investment here.

Kyrie is 30 years old while Westbrook is going to be 34 in November (and relies on athleticism more than Kyrie).

LeBron will be 38 next season. The Lakers are looking to win now.

[NyCeEvO]

We all deserve the Westbroook/Simmons backcourt drama. Maybe not the Nets fans, but man it will be entertaining for the rest of us.

Simmons a actually a very deferential player. Playing with an Apha type like Westbrick may help. It might actually unlock his roll game. … or maybe it will be awful…..

Yeah, I expect it to be really good or really bad. Can’t be much worse than we’ve gone through the last few months, so why not give it a shot.