Lakers’ trade for Rui Hachimura takes them out of Kyrie Irving free agency sweepstakes?

By HoopsHype | January 28, 2023

What’s the buzz on Twitter? Nick Friedell @NickFriedellKyrie, on the mentality of the group right now with several players being injured:“We just got to carry our own water right now. Chop wood, carry water.” – 11:03 PM Erik Slater @erikslater_Kyrie said Detroit has a tendency to come out hard to start 2nd halves, something the Nets didn’t match.“We just weren’t prepared, I thought we came out flat… We got caught flatfooted in that third quarter.” – 10:47 PM StatMuse @statmuseKyrie Irving’s last 5 games:40 PTS | 5 REB | 6 AST | 6 3PM30 PTS | 2 REB | 10 AST | 2 3PM38 PTS | 7 REB | 9 AST | 5 3PM48 PTS | 11 REB | 6 AST | 8 3PM30 PTS | 7 REB | 7 AST | 2 3PMPlaying unreal basketball lately. pic.twitter.com/qDvkFdO6lG – 10:07 PM Nick Friedell @NickFriedellKyrie finishes with 40 — but it’s not enough as the tired Nets give up 130 points to the Pistons on the second night of a back to back.The Nets have dropped 6 of their last 8 without KD. – 10:04 PM Meghan Triplett @Meghan_TriplettKyrie Irving (game-high 30 points) has extended his season-best streak of 30-point games to five, tying the longest streak of his career.Irving previously recorded 30+ points in five straight games for Boston in March 2019. – 9:39 PM Kristian Winfield @KrisplashedKyrie Irving is the fourth player in Nets NBA history to register 30+ points in five straight games, joining Kevin Durant, Stephon Marbury and John Williamson.The five straight games is the longest streak of 30-point games in the franchise’s NBA history. – 9:37 PM Erik Slater @erikslater_Kyrie Irving has recorded his fifth-straight game with 30+ points.That ties the longest streak of his career. – 9:37 PM James Edwards III @JLEdwardsIIIPistons 84, Nets 76 with 4:55 left in the 3Q.Brooklyn is playing no defense. Detroit just has to be smart with the basketball and, well, hope Kyrie doesn’t have it in him to go win this. – 9:07 PM Christos Tsaltas @Tsaltas46Giannis Antetokounmpo was 1st in Players Rank, 1st in Fans Rank and 2ndin Media Rank. Jayson Tatum was 1st in Media Rank.At guard, Donovan Mitchell was 1st in Media Rank. Kyrie Irving was 1st in Player and Fan Rank. #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/tqZdDhG2KT – 8:30 PM Nick Friedell @NickFriedellNets honor KD and Kyrie for being named All Star starters. They show a video before 2nd quarter and then the camera pans to both players on the floor. Kyrie, waving to the crowd, tries to raise KD’s arm to get him to wave as well. KD pushes him off and the pair enjoys a laugh. Ha – 8:14 PM Danny Cunningham @RealDCunninghamDonovan Mitchell finished second among the player voting for the All-Star Game behind Kyrie Irving. Mitchell finished with 117 total player votes.Darius Garland finished seventh in that category, gathering 29 player votes. – 8:13 PM Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_Jaylen Brown’s voting ranks:3rd by players3rd by fans2nd by mediaKyrie Irving finished 1st in player and fan voting.Brown was third overall among East guards. – 8:11 PM Tony East @TEastNBATyrese Haliburton finished 5th in the final voting for Eastern Conference All-Star starters among guards. He finished 6th in player voting, 8th among fans, and 3rd within media votes.Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, and James Harden beat him out. pic.twitter.com/ec0Cwf5pLd – 8:09 PM Kristian Winfield @KrisplashedMarkieff Morris hits a three at the buzzer to make it a 30-27 game entering the second quarter. The Pistons are hitting some tough shots, but the Nets are responding. Kyrie has 13 and Jaden Ivey has 12. This could be a good game. #NetsWorld – 8:08 PM Mike Curtis @MikeACurtis2Bogdanovic’s foul on Kyrie Irving has been upgraded to a Flagrant 1. Looks like Irving didn’t have any space to land after that 3. – 7:54 PM Kristian Winfield @KrisplashedFlagrant foul on Bojan Bogdanovic’s close out on Kyrie Irving’s 3. Now two free throws and the ball back. Potential eight point swing here. – 7:53 PM Michael Scotto @MikeAScottoThe Brooklyn Nets are the only team with two All-Star starters this season. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are the only two players to be selected to start multiple All-Star games in franchise history. Durant earns his 13th All-Star selection and Irving earns his eighth. pic.twitter.com/Z7Fl1pJEH0 – 7:39 PM Chris Fedor @ChrisFedorKyrie Irving being named an East All-Star starter is going to hurt #Cavs Darius Garland’s chances at being a reserve. Irving would’ve been one of the fringe reserves. – 7:35 PM Malika Andrews @malika_andrewsWestern Conference All Star starters:LeBron James (captain)Steph CurryLuka DončićNikola JokićZion WilliamsonEastern ConferenceGiannis Antetokounmpo (captain)Jayson TatumKevin DurantKyrie IrvingDonovan Mitchell – 7:19 PM Malika Andrews @malika_andrewsWestern Conference All Star starters:Stephen Curry (captain)Luka DončićLeBron JamesNikola JokićZion WilliamsonEastern ConferenceGiannis Antetokounmpo (captain)Jayson TatumKevin DurantKyrie IrvingDonovan Mitchell – 7:18 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAFull All-Star Starters:Eastern ConferenceGiannis Antetokounmpo (captain)Kevin DurantJayson TatumKyrie IrvingDonovan MitchellWestern ConferenceLeBron James (captain)Nikola JokicZion WilliamsonStephen CurryLuka Doncic14 reserves as voted on by NBA coaches to come. – 7:16 PM Kristian Winfield @KrisplashedEast All-Star Starters:Giannis AntetokounmpoJayson TatumKevin DurantDonovan MitchellKyrie IrvingWest All-Star Starters:LeBron James (captain)Stephen CurryLuka DoncicNikola JokicZion Williamson#NBA – 7:16 PM Brad Turner @BA_TurnerEast starters are: Giannis Antetokounmpo• Kevin Durant• Kyrie Irving• Donovan Mitchell• Jayson Tatum – 7:15 PM Tony East @TEastNBAKyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell are the Eastern Conference All-Star starters at the guard spots. Tyrese Haliburton will be a reserve if he is named an All-Star. – 7:14 PM Christos Tsaltas @Tsaltas462023 #NBAAllStar startersWestern Conference:LeBron JamesZion WilliamsonSteph CurryLuka DoncicNikola JokicEastern Conference:Giannis AntetokounmpoKevin DurantJayson TatumKyrie IrvingDonovan MitchellIt’s gonna be Team LeBron vs Team Giannis – 7:14 PM Scott Agness @ScottAgnessStarters unveiled for 2023 NBA All-Star game. In the East:Donovan MitchellKyrie IrvingJayson TatumKevin DurantGiannis AntetokounmpoTyrese Haliburton, 8th in the fan vote among East guards, not part of the group.Coaches select the 7 reserves, to be announced on Feb. 2. – 7:14 PM Erik Slater @erikslater_Update to Nets Status Report for tonight’s game vs. Detroit:O’Neale (left hip soreness) – AVAILABLETonight’s starters: Simmons, Irving, Harris, O’Neale and Claxton – 7:08 PM Monte Poole @MontePooleNBCS‘It was even tougher guarding Kyrie than guarding Ja.’– Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, who has defended both Kyrie Irving and Ja Morant in the last two games.Says Kyrie ‘has everything.’ – 3:58 PM Jorge Sierra @hoopshypeKyrie Irving on helping WNBA players: “They need to be HERE playing in front of their families every single day, doing what we do. I think it’s a lesson learned right now of how we can attack this as a family. I think things will be figured out before the season gets started.” pic.twitter.com/oJejqdEg9v – 2:27 PM Kyrie Irving @KyrieIrvingRest Peacefully 🤞🏾♾❤️Kobe BryantGianna BryantJohn AltobelliKeri AltobelliAlyssa AltobelliSarah ChesterPayton ChesterChristina MauserAra Zobayan – 1:11 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAWatched LAL-SAS this morning:-AD looked like AD. Huge for Lakers.-Hachimura looked good. Ran the floor hard.-Schroder is playing a nice floor game lately-Branham is figuring stuff out. I like him.-Sochan’s passing is coming along-Collins looks good. Only 25 too… – 8:54 AM Dave McMenamin @mctenAnthony Davis’ instructions to Rui Hachimura when LAL ran post plays for him tonight in his Lakers debut: “If they don’t double, you don’t pass.” – 1:53 AM Kyle Goon @kylegoonAnthony Davis said he raised his eyebrow at Darvin Ham at a point when he noticed that some of the post-ups the Lakers usually call for him … they called for Rui Hachimura.But he laughed, saying the Lakers know he’s a good midrange shooter and can get buckets out of it. – 1:53 AM Mike Trudell @LakersReporterDespite an off shooting night (3 for 12), Dennis Schröder was terrific against the Spurs, finishing +15 (2nd only to Hachimura’s +17).The German had 4 steals and 2 blocks, plus 8 boards and 5 assists in a team-high 37 minutes. – 1:46 AM Mike Trudell @LakersReporterRui Hachimura scored 12 points off the bench on 4 of 7 FG’s (and 3 of 6 FT’s) with 6 rebounds in 21 minutes, good for a team-best +17 in his Lakers debut. – 1:21 AM Dave McMenamin @mctenLakers win 113-104 over the Spurs to improve to 23-26. AD 21p 12r 4b; LeBron 20p 11a 9r 6tos; Pat Bev 18p 2s; Westbrook 14p 4a; Hachimura 12p 6r; Schroder 9p 8r 5a 4s 2b. Next up: @ BOS on Saturday. – 12:51 AM Mike Trudell @LakersReporterAn 11-0 run, with 3 straight triples and a Bryant dunk, had LAL up 99-89.After 2 Spurs FT’s, Hachimura hit mid-range J to reach 11 bench points with 6 boards in his inaugural 20 minutes for the Lakers. – 12:36 AM Erik Slater @erikslater_Kyrie on Ben Simmons’ uptick in aggressiveness in the 2nd half:“He just made a choice to put his head down and be aggressive for our team… When he’s aggressive being Ben Simmons then we look very good and it gives us opportunities that sometimes we don’t get if he’s not.” pic.twitter.com/DywXFWu1hs – 11:38 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporterAnthony Davis and Rui Hachimura checked in together at the 4:22 mark of the 1st Q.San Antonio had been on a 13-1 run to open a 24-16 lead. – 10:56 PM Alex Schiffer @Alex__SchifferFinal: Sixers beat the Nets 137-133. WHAT A GAME. Seth Curry with 32, Kyrie with 30 and Clax with 25. All this game was missing was Kevin Durant. He gave us some Twitter highlights. Nets have the Pistons tomorrow. Curious if anyone gets a rest after this game. – 10:18 PM Gina Mizell @ginamizellFINAL: Sixers 137, Nets 133. Still waiting for a game when everybody plays on both sides, but that was fun. Maxey with 27 points and 5 assists off the bench. Embiid with 26-10-3. Kyrie with 30 and 10 assists. Simmons 12-5-5 but did not play down the stretch. – 10:18 PM Ky Carlin @Ky_CarlinMan, Kyrie Irving is just something else. Who knows how this game would look if Kevin Durant was out there? – 10:14 PM Alex Schiffer @Alex__SchifferTobias Harris with a putback puts the Sixers up 128-122. As quickly as the Nets tied up, the Sixers got back up by six. It’s 128-122 with 2:17 left. Vaughn has rolled with the same unit of Kyrie, Clax, Seth, Yuta and Royce. Wonder if he makes a change. Might be gassed. – 10:07 PM Alex Schiffer @Alex__SchifferNets rallying. Joe Harris with a 3, Kyrie lobs one to Yuta. Next time down Yuta, who may have traveled, throws a laser beam to Seth Curry in the corner. Curry drains it and tap dances in front of former team and father-in-law. Timeout Sixers. It’s 116-110 Sixers with 7:50 left. – 9:54 PM Kristian Winfield @KrisplashedSeth Curry has 25 points, Kyrie Irving has 21 and Nic Claxton has 20. The Nets have come back from down 17 and trail the Sixers, 116-110, with 7:50 to go in the fourth quarter. Ben Simmons has been the catalyst. After going scoreless in the first half, Simmons has 12 points. – 9:54 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporterRui Hachimura will come off the bench in his first game.He of course has familiarity playing with Westbrook from their Wizards days together, but the coaches will certainly take a look at him with different groups. – 9:03 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoonRui Hachimura will also come off the bench tonight, Ham says. He’s had access to the play book and some scripting, but Ham says the Lakers are trying to ease him into his role. – 9:03 PM Alex Schiffer @Alex__SchifferHalftime: Sixers lead the Nets 75-65. Kyrie Irving has 18 points, Seth with 16, Clax, 13. Ben Simmons hasn’t had the aggressive start he did the last time here. Just one shot, two assists and three rebounds. Nets need stops and more scoring help aside from those three. – 8:50 PM Alex Schiffer @Alex__SchifferSixers have built their lead up to nine, lead 61-52 with 7:17 left in the first half. Kyrie Irving had something to say to either the refs or the Sixers as he walked toward the Nets bench. Looks like Harrell said something to Claxton after that layup. – 8:32 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAThis is from last night, but worth mentioning:If Mark Williams, James Bouknight and Kai Jones aren’t going to play when the Hornets are terrible, have a bunch of injuries and are getting killed, when are they are going to play?What are we waiting for in Charlotte on the kids? – 8:23 PM Kristian Winfield @KrisplashedEND OF Q1: Nets 41, Sixers 41Both teams are playing pretty solid basketball. The Nets have held Joel Embiid to just 1/5 FG, and his only bucket came cherry-picking. Kyrie Irving has 10 early points. So does Seth Curry, back in Philly. Ben Simmons has not attempted a shot. – 8:22 PM Alex Schiffer @Alex__SchifferEnd of the first quarter: Nets and Sixers tied at 41. The energy for this game has been awesome. The whistles have not. Kyrie Irving and Seth Curry each have 10 points. Sixers started 6-for-9 from 3. Nets are 6-for-8 from deep. Offense! – 8:21 PM Nick Friedell @NickFriedellThe Philly fans are going nuts after the replays showed that Kyrie flop that Embiid got called for a foul on. Doc Rivers waived off the challenge. – 8:09 PM Nick Friedell @NickFriedellThe Philly are going nuts after the replays showed that Kyrie flop that Embiid got called for a foul on. Doc Rivers waived off the challenge. – 8:08 PM Rich Hoffman @rich_hofmannThink that’s a good non-challenge by Doc. Joel would’ve gotten called for Kyrie getting his arm wrapped up, even if that was one of the flops of the century. – 8:08 PM Tim Bontemps @TimBontempsKyrie Irving just got two foul shots for slipping on the ground, and the crowd here is displeased.Very, very amped up atmosphere here at Wells Fargo, as you’d expect today. – 8:07 PM Erik Slater @erikslater_Doc Rivers on 76ers potentially overlooking Nets without KD:“Nah, they’re still pretty good without him. They have this guy named Kyrie Irving that I hear is terrific.” – 5:50 PM Alex Schiffer @Alex__SchifferDoc Rivers asked if the Sixers would overlook the Nets without Kevin Durant: “They have a guy named Kyrie Irving who is pretty good.” – 5:49 PM Jovan Buha @jovanbuhaWhat did we learn about the Lakers’ trade-deadline plans from Rob Pelinka’s press conference yesterday?On LA only using their picks if they believe they’ll be a championship “frontrunner,” their intent to retain Rui Hachimura and more:theathletic.com/4123510/2023/0… – 3:57 PM Jovan Buha @jovanbuhaThe Lakers list Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker IV and LeBron James as questionable vs. San Antonio tonight. Rui Hachimura isn’t listed and will be available for his Lakers debut. – 3:51 PM Dave Early @DavidEarlyNets coming brings me back to that Nov. game Paul Reed dropped 19 pts, 10 reb, 2 blocks, 2 steals game high +21, helping a team w/o Embiid, Harden, or Maxey Beat a team WITH Durant, Kyrie, Simmons.Sixers won 5/8 short handed w/Reed a regular then he was demoted.This is fine. – 3:18 PM More on this storyline “Kobe as the man was very inspirational,” Irving told Bally Sports after the Brooklyn Nets’ 137-133 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. “Very loving, compassionate. Always had an open heart for those that wanted to follow his knowledge, wisdom. “He always wanted to pass on what he learned. I was just more than grateful that I could have him as a mentor for as many years that I did.” -via Bally Sports / January 27, 2023