If the Lakers didn’t catch big fish over the summer, it’s also because they were reluctant to part with a few big assets. But especially in the case of two players, they were willing to do it… Unfortunately, they fell short every time.

Watching the games of the Lakers’ last campaign, we tell ourselves that the 2022 offseason is pretty painful to watch. The best recruits on paper? Patrick Beverley and Dennis Schröder, the other was already on the sidelines for three to four weeks. Besides them, the managers only managed to bring in a few rotation players. clearly nothing to be optimistic about… but it has to be said that GM Rob Pelinka didn’t make it easy on himself.

The front office for the City of Angels actually failed to trade Russell Westbrook during the summer, which might have turned everything on the market upside down. But if Brodie is still a member of the Purples and Golds, it’s because the franchise wasn’t ready to do anything to get rid of him either. In fact, he was regularly asked for their first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 to garnish the offer from RW that didn’t shine last year.

LA ready to drop picks for Kyrie and Donovan Mitchell

Small problem, it’s Angelino’s last draft asset, so they wanted to keep at least one of them, which regularly put a damper on negotiations. However, they would have had no problem disposing of it in the case of two players, according to Dave McMenamin, who conducted his investigation on behalf ofESPN. According to the journalist, they would have been worth putting everything on the table for the Californians:

The Lakers engaged in talks with the Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets over the summer, sources say, and the talks often ran into the same issue. Several teams the Lakers have spoken with have insisted the Lakers include their two future first-round draft picks in a trade.

The Lakers were determined to trade only one of the two picks unless the package yielded a must-have talent such as Donovan Mitchell Where Kyrie Irving. With the Nets not interested in dismantling their team and the Jazz having accepted a large offer from Cleveland for Mitchell, the small trades discussed did not go through and the Lakers began training camp with Westbrook on the roster.

Given their status and especially their crazy inherent qualities, it seemed obvious that Los Angeles was willing to make sacrifices to achieve one or the other. Unfortunately, they fell short on both counts: Uncle Drew stayed in Brooklyn despite longing to join LeBron James, while Spida now plays for the Cavs. In other words, it’s a big missed opportunity for the franchise, which will be able to brood over it for a while.

Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell, these are the only two players that the Lakers were willing to give up their two first round draft picks. That they didn’t manage to get at least one is therefore particularly frustrating, especially for the fans.