Although trade talks between the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets regarding Kyrie Irving seem either dead or dormant right now, the Lakers haven’t given up on looking to improve their roster.
General manager Rob Pelinka recently said at a summer league game they aren’t done and still have work to do, something that was echoed by team owner Jeanie Buss.
According to multiple reports, L.A. may have at least one “backup” trade in mind if Irving doesn’t end up in the Purple and Gold.
But the Lakers are still aiming for their big fish, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
"I think the Lakers will make a deal, maybe more than one deal. It may not be for Kyrie Irving, it may not be for an All-NBA player, an All-Star… It's not completely dead with Brooklyn… I don't think the Lakers are done."
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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) July 18, 2022
In fact, Dave McMenamin said on Zach Lowe’s podcast “The Lowe Post” that the Lakers may actually aim to combine their reported Plan A and Plan B by going for acquiring both Irving and either Buddy Hield or Eric Gordon.
It is generally believed that if they do land Irving this summer via trade, it won’t happen until the Nets trade Kevin Durant first.