Lakers News: Kyrie Irving Interested In Being Traded To LA

What would the Lakers be willing to sacrifice in a deal?

Brooklyn Nets All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving rocked the NBA world today when he demanded to be traded away from the team prior to next week's February 9th deadline after contract negotiations with the Nets stalled out.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that, although the 6'2" vet has not revealed a list of his ideal landing destinations, he remains intrigued by your Los Angeles Lakers. LA, of course, had been one of the few teams interested in securing his services last summer.

At 31-20 this season and with All-Star power forward Kevin Durant expected to return within the month, the Nets had emerged as a potential title contender in the Eastern Conference following a rocky start to the year. Durant had demanded a trade over the summer, and while the Nets opted not to give in, they did eventually fire head coach Steve Nash. His replacement, Jacque Vaughn, instantly turned things around, and had fashioned Brooklyn into a legitimate playoff threat.

By demanding to be moved right now, Irving is potentially cratering his current team's postseason chances by nuking its chemistry. To be fair, he's done this at his two previous NBA stops before blowing town.

What would an Irving-to-LA team look like? Any deal would most likely be centered around the $47.1 million expiring deal of LA sixth man Russell Westbrook and future draft equity (probably one or both of the team's tradable first round draft picks), and would require the Nets to add a midlevel or veteran's minimum contract for salary-matching purposes, as Irving makes $36.9 million. LA could flip Westbrook and picks for Irving and a shooter, like Seth Curry or Patty Mills. Check out other, more epic options here.