It seems Kyrie Irving’s time with the Brooklyn Nets is ending as the superstar is looking to head to another team in the offseason. In a new report from Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers are reported as “the most significant threat” to acquiring Kyrie if he decides to leave the Nets.
Wojnarowski says the Lakers can’t afford to pay Kyrie a max contract, but he’ll get to play with his former teammate LeBron James. Doing this, Kyrie would have to take a significant pay cut.
With the Lakers roster already set up, Irving would be taking a $30 million pay cut to play with the team. He has a player option worth $36 million for the 2022-23 season, and to join the Lakers, Irving would have to turn that down and sign a $6 million taxpayer exemption with the Lakers.
“Now, the Lakers are considered the most significant threat right now for Kyrie Irving, but that would essentially entail him taking $30 million less than he can opt into in Brooklyn,” Woj reported. “There’s a $6 million taxpayer exemption he can sign with the Lakers.”
While it seems unlikely that Kyrie will take that significant pay cut, the Nets point guard has reportedly been in contact with LeBron recently, according to NBA insider Marc Stein. However, if Kyrie does agree to opt-in, he could be a part of a trade that could include Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook going to the Nets.
