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Nets Owner Reportedly Refused to Trade Kyrie Irving to Lakers

Joe Tsai reportedly did not want to let Kyrie Irving go to the Lakers.

The talk of the NBA is the blockbuster trade between Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks. Since the offseason, it's felt like Kyrie wanted to rejoin LeBron James on the Lakers. It looks like that may be exactly what Nets owner Joe Tsai didn't want to happen.

According to a report from Marc Stein, Nets owner Joe Tsai specifically did not want Kyrie Irving to go to the Lakers. In the report, Stein states that there was a "presumed objective" to send Kyrie Irving anywhere than his preferred destination of the Los Angeles Lakers.

If this is true, that is incredibly petty from Joe Tsai. The aim of a franchise should always be to do what's best for a team to win a championship, not to scorn a player. Regardless, of what the reports are, always remember that are three sides to a story -  your side, their side, and the neutral truth. It's important to remember where a story comes from, and if it just came from the side of the Lakers.

Regardless, what's done is done. Kyrie Irving is no longer a member of the Brooklyn Nets, and he's also not a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Brooklyn Nets now have Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and more draft picks. The team is poised to build around Kevin Durant, and they will definitely have to keep him happy after his previous trade request this off-season.

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