Kyrie-to-Brooklyn rumors have dominated the prelude to NBA free agency, and the Los Angeles Lakers likely are hoping those rumors turn out to be true.
That's because Irving to the Nets would open the door for guard D'Angelo Russell to return to L.A. If and when Irving signs with the Nets, they'd likely renounce Russell to make Irving their new star point guard and thus, Russell would become an unrestricted free agent.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski explained the scenario Tuesday night on ESPN.
“The Lakers now at this point are rooting for Kyrie Irving to go to Brooklyn,” Wojnarowski said. “Because then Brooklyn renounces D’Angelo Russell, who is a restricted free agent. He becomes unrestricted and then the Lakers could sign Russell as their third star in LA. And they get back a much more mature, polished player, who's been an All-Star, whose put a team into the postseason.”
Watch the clip below:
The latest Kyrie-Nets report states Brooklyn remains the 27-year-old's "preferred choice" in free agency, so the Lakers very well may just get their wish.
As for where the Celtics go from here without Irving, they're reportedly trying to lure free agent Kemba Walker as their next star.
Boston Celtics
NBA free agency gets underway on June 30.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.