Two NBA stars have been spotted “scouting” the Lakers against the Nuggets after D’Angelo Russell was benched – causing fans to furiously
KYRIE Irving and Trae Young saw the Los Angeles Lakers in action again during the 2023 NBA Playoffs and got fans excited.
The Star Point Guards sat on the sidelines during Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals just as the Lakers benched D’Angelo Russell for the deciding playoff duel against the Denver Nuggets.
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Russell’s future with the Lakers has turned bleak due to his disappointing performance in the conference finals.
The former No. 2 pick averaged a poor 7.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the first three games against the Nuggets as the Purple and Gold fell 3-0.
With the Lakers close to victory, head coach Darvin Ham decided to bench the guard in Game 4 to create an uproar and motivate his team.
just a day before ESPN’s Briand Windhorst reported that Irving – who was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Dallas Mavericks in February – was “ready to come to the Lakers,” adding that Los Angeles may be looking for a new point guard.
And when they joined Irving and Young in Game 4 on Monday, NBA fans began to get the hang of things — especially since it wasn’t their first appearance at the Crypto.com Arena in the 2023 playoffs.
One tweeted: “I’m afraid one of them might start for purple and gold next season.”
Another wrote, “Kyrie has been really watching the Lakers for the past few months.”
A third added, “Obviously the whole ‘Kyrie at Lakers games’ aspect gets covered in the media at every opportunity…but Trae Young has been in several of the Lakers’ home playoff games?!”
“That’s remarkable considering his situation is at least being considered in Atlanta.”
One said: “Trae Young and Kyrie have both confirmed the Lakers for next season.”
And another tweeted: “They are both competing to be Laker next season.”
Rumors of Irving wanting to reunite with LeBron James at the Lakers have been circulating for over a year.
And Young’s potential departure from the Atlanta Hawks became more likely after the team changed their head coach midseason, leading to suggestions the franchise might be considering a rebuild.
However, the Hawks star has a contract that ties him to Atlanta until at least 2027.
On the other hand, both Irving and Russell will become free agents this summer.