This Is Why The Los Angeles Lakers Weren't Able To Land Kyrie Irving

LeBron James wanted it. Kyrie Irving wanted it. The Los Angeles Lakers took their shot, but ultimately came up short in their bid to land Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets.

The Lakers finally included those two vaunted first-round picks (2027, 2029) in their offer, along with Russell Westbrook and his expiring $47M contract, but the Nets wanted more. Much more. In what many are saying was an insistence by Nets owner Joe Tsai to keep Irving away from his preferred L.A. destination, the Nets asked for more than the Lakers could possibly give up:

What Brooklyn wanted from the Lakers for Kyrie Irving:

Austin Reaves
Max Christie
Pick swaps
Two first round picks
Russell Westbrook

(Via @ShamsCharania ) pic.twitter.com/BVpoCccYxN
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) February 6, 2023

The Nets informed the Lakers that in order to make an offer to get in the Irving sweepstakes they would require all of their young players such as Austin Reaves and Max Christie and pick swaps in addition to Westbrook and the two first-round picks.

After everything that Kyrie put the Nets through over the past three years, NBA Insider Marc Stein, in fact, put it out there that Nets ownership had an objective of not sending Irving to where he wanted to be.

Nets owner Joe Tsai's objective was to not send Kyrie to the Lakers, per @TheSteinLine pic.twitter.com/VXjbaAcjuZ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 6, 2023