The Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets are both broken teams with toxic superstars. For the Lakers, it’s Russell Westbrook who’s a terrible fit. For the Nets, it’s Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons who’ve become pariahs.
As crazy as it might initially seem, the best possible solution for the Lakers and Nets could be to help each other by swapping their problem superstars. Neither is going to be able to make a better trade with any other NBA team.
The proposed trade involves the Los Angeles Lakers trading Russell Westbrook plus Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn to the Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons in straight deal without any draft picks.
How ironic that the two franchises with the superstar big threes and grand hopes of meeting in the NBA Finals are now viewing each other as possible trading partners to extract them from their self-inflicted trading wounds. Could the reunion of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant be the fresh start solution the Nets need? Could adding Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons to LeBron James and Anthony Davis transform the Lakers into contenders?
Let’s take a closer look at why the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets should be willing to make the proposed trade and how the trade would impact both teams’ prospects both in the short term and long term.
Why the Los Angeles Lakers Should Make the Trade
The Lakers make this trade because it lets them to have their cake and eat it too. The trade not only transform the Lakers into legitimate championship contenders but it also allows them to keep both of their first round picks.
The opportunity to trade Westbrook, Beverley, and Nunn for a toxic Irving and toxic Simmons could be another lethal misfire like trading for Russell Westbrook or a case of the lucky Lakers making lemonade out of lemons.
But the opportunity to acquire two players with superstar talent could be an irresistible opportunity for the Lakers, especially since the trade would enable them to keep both their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks.
Trading for two troubled superstars like Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons would be an incredibly risky gamble by a Lakers’ front office whose poor roster construction has resulted in two injury and loss filled seasons.
But the reward of not having to give up their 2027 and 2029 first round picks is the grease that makes the trade worth the huge risk for the Lakers and is worth taking on toxic Irving for a year and troubled Simmons for 3 years.
The Lakers would be gambling that adding Irving’s scoring and shooting and Simmons’ size, playmaking, and defense would be a critical first step to transform the current squad into a legitimate championship contender.
The wild cards that make such a trade even conceivable from the Lakers’ point of view is Irving’s history with James and the team’s close alliance with the Klutch Sports Group, agents for James, Davis, and Simmons.
The Lakers rarely hesitate when given an opportunity to trade for superstar talent. The opportunity to acquire Irving and Simmons for Westbrook and filler without including any picks would be one the Lakers could not resist.
Why the Brooklyn Nets Should Make the Trade
The Brooklyn Nets make this trade to replace two players in Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons whose personal toxic problems have derailed the team’s season and threatened its relationship with superstar Kevin Durant.
For the Brooklyn Nets, this trade is about salvaging their relationship with mega superstar Kevin Durant and making moves to stabilize the roster and give KD trust and confidence the franchise is moving in the right direction.
The first step in doing that is to move Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons. Irving burned his bridges in Brooklyn with his support of an anti-Semitic film and Simmons with his mental inability to shoot while on the court.
Other than the Lakers, there may not be any NBA teams willing to trade Kyrie Irving or Ben Simmons considering their toxic baggage. Irving is on an expiring contract but Simmons has 3-years and $113 million left.
What’s fascinating is there’s a case to be made that Westbrook playing alongside Durant could be a good fit on the Nets, who will need a starting point guard after trading both Irving and Simmons to the Lakers.
Westbrook is no longer a major negative factor when he pays thanks to the intervention of Lakers rookie head coach Darvin Ham, who convinced Russ to come off the bench, where he’s played like the 6th Man of the Year.
A possible reunion of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant could be the exact type of landscape change the Brooklyn Nets need. Westbrook’s relentless energy would be a welcome change from Irving and Simmons.
The Nets and Kevin Durant need a fresh start and the best way to do that would be to trade the toxic Irving and dump the broken Simmons and his 3 years and $113 million on the Lakers for Westbrook, Beverley, and Nunn.
I still prefer a Westbrook and picks trade with the Pacers but if this were offered to the Lakers, I would be interested if LeBron and Klutch believed they could solve Ben’s mental issues and make him a positive contributor on both ends.
If the Lakers could do that, this is a fabulous trade for them because they get to keep their two first round picks. Not any other scenario where the Lakers get to have their cake and eat it too.
Hield and Turner did not play well tonite and Indy crunched.
Ben Simmons isn’t interested in competing on an NBA team. He likes the paycheck. Who wouldn’t? Have you even watched any Nets games? The dude does almost nothing, all game long. He passes up wide open shots from all over the place, not just from three. He’s afraid to get fouled. He isn’t even playing elite defense.
You know what could change my opinion about him? If he did what Lauri Markkanen did, or even Dennis Schr3oder, and kick-ass for his national team. He doesn’t even do that, though. Not in a few years. what does he do instead?
Works on his jump shot. Which is terrible.
You want to sink the Lakers into a hole from which they will not climb, this is the trade for you! We should GET picks for making this deal.
I’m not ignoring Simmons mental issues but he’s a great talent and only 26 and getting him for Russ without giving up picks could be the steal of the decade.
I do agree to consider it LeBron, AD, Klutch, and Ben himself would have to convince the Lakers this could work and that Simmons would play whatever positions the Lakers need him to play, whether point guard, power forward, or small ball center.
That’s a huge hurdle for Ben to clear but I’ve always loved the idea of him in purple and gold and when guys go through crises like he and Kyrie have, that sometimes opens the door to steal a star.
Eric Pincus proposed a similar trade but with KD and Ben instead of Kyrie and Ben for Russ, PatBev, and Nunn but with 2 picks since LAL is getting KD:
“In a November 16 article called “Realistic Landing Spots If Kevin Durant Revisits Trade Request,” Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus proposed a trade that lands Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons on the Los Angeles Lakers for Russell Westbrook, Kendrick Nunn, Patrick Beverley and two future draft picks.”
https://heavy.com/sports/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-trade-rumors-kevin-durant-ben-simmons-russell-westbrook-nets-nba/
Jamie, would you do Pincus’ trade. Russ, Bev, Nunn and both picks for KD and Ben Simmons?
No. I have no interest whatsoever in seeing Ben Simmons in a Laker uniform in his current state. Honestly not ever at all. Bad back, bad knees, bad attitude. Not a team guy, IMO, and is playing for the $$$.
Everyone thinks Russ is a terrible fit with AD and LeBron. He shot 30% from 3 for his careers. Simmons has made 5 3’s in his career! The Nets can play KD, Kyrie, Harris, Curry and Mills with him to space the floor. With the Lakers the spacing would be a nightmare.
LOL. There’s no question Ben is a worse fit offensively than Russ. Who know if he’ll ever shoot threes but he can be great player in other area if the Lakers add shooters.
It’s his potential defensively that is why I would entertain trading for him. He’s another one of those guys who can guard five positions at all three levels. If we’re going to go for Kyrie, might as well go for Ben as far as I am concerned.
Give me Myles and Buddy and I will be happy.