Like I’ve been saying, Kyrie and LeBron are going to do whatever it takes to get Kyrie in LA this year. The Lakers are royalty, but so are we. And we know KD had us as the runner-up to Golden State in 2016. I really believe this could happen (reminder: JB has not exactly inspired confidence he’s going to be here beyond the remaining two years on his contract, and the competition for KD is fierce, so we’re likely not getting him without giving up JB, a solid rotation player like Batman, and at least two firsts):
BOS In: KD
LAL In: Kyrie
BKN In: JB, G. Williams, Pritchard ($’s are 44K short if we move Kornet instead), Westbrick, 2026 LAL 1st, 2028 LAL 1st, 2025 BOS 1st, 2027 BOS 1st, 2027 LAL 1st swap, 2029 LAL 1st swap
Team-level:
BOS In: KD
BOS Out: JB, G. Williams, Pritchard ($’s are 44K short if we move Kornet instead), 2025 BOS 1st, 2027 BOS 1st
LAL In: Kyrie
LAL Out: Westbrick, 2026 LAL 1st, 2028 LAL 1st, 2027 LAL 1st swap, 2029 LAL 1st swap
BKN In: JB, G. Williams, Pritchard ($’s are 44K short if we move Kornet instead), Westbrick, 2026 LAL 1st, 2028 LAL 1st, 2025 BOS 1st, 2027 BOS 1st, 2027 LAL 1st swap, 2029 LAL 1st swap
BKN Out: KD, Kyrie
We walk away as title favorites, and go all-in by moving our seconds/maybe a swap for a TPE to backup JT, giving us these incredible rotations:
Brogdon/D-White
Smart/D-White
JT/TPE
KD/Gallinari
Timelord/Horford
Bench: Ring-chasing 1/2, ring-chasing 5/4, Hauser, Kornet, Davison and/or Begarin
Forget the taxes. The sales of KD/JT/title merchandise is more than going to pay for the taxes. We get KD above, we make that last move for an elite TPE to backup JT/KD.
The Nets get to walk away saying they got four firsts, an all-star in JB, a future starter in Batman, a rotation guy from the EC champions in Pritchard, and two potentially amazing swaps. And Westbrick can still help them sell tickets being paired with JB and Simmons. They walk away smelling like roses.
What’s really good for the NBA is talk of a Celtics Vs. Lakers Finals with Kyrie Vs. KD being part of the narrative. If the Lakers falter, there’s still the backup scenario of Golden State Vs. Celtics rematch with KD’s legacy on the line as the added narrative. This is win-win-win for everybody. No other scenario is better for us and the NBA than this. THIS is maximum entertainment.