While Irving would clearly like to reunite with former teammate LeBron James, Stein says the Lakers aren’t making any promises behind the scenes. General manager Rob Pelinka said in a televised interview Friday that he is still working on upgrading the roster, but league rules prevent him from talking specifically about a potential deal for Irving. The Lakers’ concerns about overspending could be a major obstacle to making a trade happen, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix explained on Ryen Rusillo’s podcast (hat tip to Eric Eulau of SI’s Lakers page). Although they are among the highest-valued teams in the NBA, Mannix calls the Lakers “a mom-and-pop organization masquerading as a multibillion-dollar franchise” and says they are reluctant to take on all the expenses that would be necessary. to convince Brooklyn to make a deal. “There’s not a lot of appetite in Los Angeles at this point to take on all the money they’re going to have to get to be a team that includes the luxury tax and trade a first-round pick,” Mannix said. “As long as that’s the asking price, the Lakers aren’t going to get their hands on Kyrie Irving.” There’s more from Los Angeles:
Pelinka’s next priority will be to find more shooters, Stein adds in the same piece. The Lakers have been linked to the Pacers’ Buddy Hield and the Rockets’ Eric Gordon, both of whom were Pelinka’s clients when he was an agent. A source tells Stein that Los Angeles likely doesn’t have enough assets to get both Hield and Myles Turner from Indiana. Reports have described them as “prime targets” if the Lakers can’t strike a deal for Irving. Pelinka’s willingness to match Brooklyn’s price for Irving could be affected by James’ upcoming extension date, Stein adds. As of Aug. 4, James will be eligible to sign a two-year extension worth about $100 million, and Stein suggests Pelinka may want to have a significant deal in place by then to ensure his star player is happy.
