Whenever something happened in the NBA, the key to my career was to ask very important questions. Lakers?? Often, to varying degrees, it is a question that can be answered.In this case, Deandre Ayton Phoenix Suns Affects the Lakers both on the court and in off-season hopes.
In this week’s “The Hook,” Aaron Larsuel and I answered this question. Many other people facing the Lakers still have a lot to do before a successful off-season, with their own approval.
First and foremost, Eighton’s re-signature in Phoenix means that a really good Sands team will remain really good next season and move forward. They’re in the Lakers division, so at least four games next season will be that tough. Needless to say, it’s easy to forget about real basketball at this time of year.
Being related to Lakers’ summer plans, Eighton’s re-signature enables a realistic trade package that matches what the stars saw going up on Kevin Durant’s list of priority destinations. It means one less team can be put together in the last few weeks. And the harder it is for the team to trade for Durant, the more likely it is that Brooklyn will persuade him to stick to Durant.
And the more likely Durant will stick, the more likely he will demand that Irving remain part of Brooklyn’s plans for next season.
And if Irving is the net next season, it makes it much harder for him to intervene as a replacement for Russell Westbrook.
Does this mean that Irving’s trading is off the table? Obviously not. According to all recent reports, Durant has not shaken his stance of wanting to move this summer. More importantly, for the Lakers, Irving’s trading market is not realized outside of Los Angeles. As I wrote yesterdayIt can change rapidly and leverage can disappear with a single decision.
Aaron and I talk about this, the oxymoron restricted to free agents, the latest updates on this Irving-Westbrook, the Nets-Lakers standoffs, Aaron’s time in Las Vegas, and why it’s such a great trip. We talked.
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