Kendrick Perkins: Kyrie Irving could make Lakers the favorites in the West
Kyrie Irving reportedly asked the Brooklyn Nets to trade him on Friday, which will give them about six days to find a suitor for him, or possibly lose him in free agency this summer.
The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to at least kick the tires on a possible trade for Irving, although they do have some concerns about him.
But if such a trade were to happen, it could radically alter the balance of power in the Western Conference, not to mention the entire NBA.
Right now, L.A. has a 25-28 record, and although it is just three games behind the fourth-place Dallas Mavericks, it has struggled to gain and maintain momentum all season.
Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins thinks Irving would make the Lakers a legitimate championship contender and possibly the best team in the conference.
"If [The Lakers] get Kyrie Irving, I mean damn: they should be considered to winning the West."
— Kendrick Perkins#LakeShow pic.twitter.com/QstM9vsIYg
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) February 3, 2023
The West looks pretty wide open right now, as the first-place Denver Nuggets appear to be the only team there with legitimate championship aspirations.
Irving is still on top of his game at age 30, and he would give L.A. a third big-time scoring threat, as well as another outstanding facilitator and perhaps the best crunch-time performer around.
Of course, Irving also has a relationship with LeBron James, who has been putting up phenomenal stats at age 38, and the two won a world title together in 2016.
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NBA fans, analysts react to possibility of a Lakers trade for Kyrie Irving
