Lakers

Lakers News: Kyrie Irving Out Ahead Of Nets Game Tonight — Is A Trade Imminent?

Russell Westbrook is questionable for LA tonight.

Brooklyn Nets All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving will not play ahead of tonight’s matchup against the Washington Wizards, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. Irving is apparently dealing with a sore right calf, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Sure he is.

Irving, presumably annoyed that he hadn’t been the subject of constant media scrutiny lately, had sportswriters scrambling yesterday when it leaked that he and his representatives had walked away from contract extension talks with Brooklyn and had demanded that Irving be dealt by next Thursday’s trade deadline.

Will he ever play for Brooklyn again? Are the Nets actually going to trade him after all? Time will tell. But Irving is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and he has threatened to leave the Nets for nothing if they don’t flip him.

Conversely, Los Angeles Lakers non-All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook is questionable to suit up for LA’s early bout with the New Orleans Pelicans. The listed reason is a non-COVID-19 illness, though given the proximity of the league’s trade deadline, and the increasing trade chatter surrounding Westbrook’s expiring $47.1 million contract, we here at All Lakers are somewhat skeptical.

Are these two absences necessarily intertwined? No. But it’s certainly possible, as the Lakers have long been linked to Irving, and are obviously desperate enough now to try to trade for a talent at his level, despite his erratic behavior.

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