NBA Trade Rumors: 7x All-Star has his sight set only on LA Lakers, insiders believe "everything else is just noise"

Trade rumors surrounding Kyrie Irving joining the LA Lakers have started to pick up steam. Many analysts laughed at the notion of Irving leaving Kevin Durant and reuniting with LeBron James. It now appears that this move is a real possibility.

According to The Athletic's Sam Amick, Kyrie Irving has already set his mind on his next destination being the LA Lakers. Amick wrote that there is mutual interest, but there are extenuating circumstances.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers are strongly interested in pursuing Kyrie Irving. Other teams mentioned in the rumors have either backed off or are showing little interest.

Another twist is that the only way they can acquire Irving is if he agrees to take a major pay cut. The deadline for Irving's player option with Brooklyn worth $36.9 million is on Wednesday. He would have to take a $6 million midlevel exception and, unprecedentedly, give up on $30 million to join the Lakers.

Russell Westbrook makes a Kyrie Irving and LA Lakers' union difficult

Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving warm up during the 2018 NBA All-Star Game

Kyrie Irving has a higher market value than Russell Westbrook. The LA Lakers will not acquire any major assets in return for their point guard either. Also, would Kevin Durant sign off on reuniting with Russell Westbrook?

According to The Athletic's Sam Amick, neither party has many options in front of them. He reported that neither Durant, Westbrook nor the Nets would be interested in such a union.

Additionally, even if we believe Irving will join the Lakers, Russell Westbrook's contract makes it difficult to trade him.

Sam Amick reported that Westbrook will be picking up his player option and plans to remain with the team. He noted that the Lakers have to proceed delicately to not worsen an already fragile situation with Westbrook's experience in Los Angeles.

The Athletic's Bill Oram reported a few weeks ago that Westbrook laughed at the idea of coming off the bench. The situation in Los Angeles is already very sensitive, and they cannot afford to make matters worse.

The LA Lakers cannot afford to have another mediocre season while James is still playing at an MVP level. He is putting up incredible numbers even at the age of 37, and they cannot waste James while he continues to defy his age.