Reacts: Lakers won’t regret missing out on Kyrie Irving

The Lakers balked at offering up the haul asked by the Nets for Kyrie Irving, but it’s a move that fans feel the team won’t regret.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Los Angeles Lakers fans and fans across the country.
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The Lakers decision not to trade for Kyrie Irving was a potentially decisive one. After months and months of waiting, Irving represented the best player they could have conceivably traded for in-season...or really at almost any point of the year.

A number of things played against them, though. Irving has a host of off-court baggage that comes along with him, first and foremost. As related to basketball, he’s an expiring contract and, as we’re learning more and more, the Nets had limited interest in doing a fair deal with the Lakers.

Taking all that into account, this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey asked whether the Lakers would regret trading for Kyrie Irving. The results were perhaps surprisingly decisive.

Interestingly, this poll was also taken before the team even completed its trade for D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt. Presumably, knowing that deal was done instead would only further persuade fans they did not make a mistake.

Here’s what commenters said about potentially regretting the Kyrie deal.

Again, perhaps the Russell trade would sway fans even more, especially considering that it feels like the team can compete now. The main reservation of passing up on the Kyrie deal was that it may come at the cost of fielding a competitive team. That it hasn’t probably eases much of the uncertainty of not trading for Kyrie.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.