One of rumored obstacles for the Lakers and the Nets to reach an agreement on Kyrie Irving trade is Brooklyn’s demand for Los Angeles to give them their 2029 first round draft pick.
According to an NBA insider Brian Windhorst, future first round picks is not something that LeBron James cares about and he is thought to be very interested in teaming up with Kyrie again. Therefore, the four-time NBA champion is expected to use his influence on the team when pushing for the trade.
“I can’t articulate how little LeBron cares about the Lakers 2029 first round pick,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s Get Up. “He could not care less about it. He’s never cared about first round draft picks. He hasn’t cared about first round draft picks when they’re on his team. He wants to win tonight and Kyrie gives him a chance tonight.
“So, that’s going to be the thing. We are in a moment right now where teams are pushing back against player empowerment. The Nets are pushing back for sure. We see some pushback in Utah with the way that the Jazz are pushing away Donovan Mitchell.
“And now the Lakers are staring at this, are they honestly going to push back on LeBron James if he’s sitting there with the pen ready to sing the extension, making sure the Lakers remain highly relevant a championship possible contender for the next two years and they’re trying to negotiate to say ‘Well LeBron, the best deal we can’t offer 2029, the best deal is to offer this.’ I am going to have my popcorn and watch because I know how LeBron feels about these things.”
