Lakers seeking two former Duke basketball teammates

One possible blockbuster trade may require a pair of Blue Devils.

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are discussing a trade involving a pair of Duke basketball products becoming teammates to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The potential trade's centerpieces are former one-and-done Blue Devil point guard Kyrie Irving, who won a title alongside James with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and is now with the Nets, and Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook. As Haynes noted, it sounds like there's a real chance an Irving-for-Westbrook deal could materialize:

"There's palpable optimism that an agreement can be struck between the two sides this offseason, but there remain a few hurdles, sources said."

One such hurdle revolves around Seth Curry, a former three-year Duke shooting guard who played alongside Irving in Durham and reunited with him in Brooklyn last season.

While the Nets reportedly prefer to ship shooting guard Joe Harris to Los Angeles as part of an Irving-Westbrook swap, the Lakers are eyeing Curry, per Haynes.

Duke basketball alums' recent production in Brooklyn

Last season, between his stints with the Philadelphia 76ers and Nets, Seth Curry averaged a career-high 15.0 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game. The 31-year-old did so while shooting 42.2 percent from downtown.

Interestingly, Curry and Joe Harris rank No. 1 and 2 among active NBA players in career 3-point percentage at 44.0 and 43.9 percent, respectively.

As for seven-time All-Star Kyrie Irving, in his third year with the Nets, the 30-year-old played only 29 games in 2021-22 but tied his career-high with 27.4 points per game. And he shot a career-high 41.8 percent beyond the arc.

On Saturday, NBA insider Shams Charania of Stadium reported that the 76ers and Dallas Mavericks are also interested in trading for Irving.

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