Report: Lakers won't pursue Kyrie Irving in free agency

“Yeah, there were options,” he said.

The Lakers, obviously, were a big one. But are they still in the hunt for his services?

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the answer appears to be no.

“As for the prospect of adding Irving via free agency next summer, sources say he’s currently not a part of the Lakers’ long-term plans,” he wrote.

Obviously circumstances can change. If the Nets struggle, dealing Irving away suddenly becomes much more palatable. The Lakers, meanwhile, are already getting booed off the court in the preseason. Whether Irving could have changed that or not is up for debate.

Under current circumstances, it appears the Lakers have moved on from any pursuit of Irving.

Irving has certain quirks that make him an unreliable partner to move forward with. But he is also supremely, supremely talented. If the Lakers are truly trying to maximize what is left of LeBron James’ career, which it seems like they are, replacing Russell Westbrook with Irving in any way you can seems like a no-brainer.

Of course, if L.A. reaches a point where it is ready to call it quits on the LeBron Era and blow the whole thing up – then suddenly Irving is useless to them as well.

The beginning of the 2022-23 NBA season will be telling. How both the Lakers and Nets ultimately fare in the early going will have massive ramifications for all parties involved going forward.