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After LeBron James Hints Kyrie Irving Interest, Lakers Making Their Demands Clear Leaves NBA World in a Frenzy: “Gonna Look Really Bad”

Published 02/04/2023, 12:10 AM EST

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The sun rose on Michael Jordan Day (2/3/23) as fans rushed online to consume content related to the six-time NBA champion. As they scrolled through Twitter, Shams Charania of The Athletic posted a tweet, leaving the NBA world in chaos. He wrote, “Brooklyn Nets All-Star Kyrie Irving has requested a trade, league sources tell…”. This opened the floodgates to mixed emotions, rants, and most importantly, various trade scenario discussions. Irving’s next move remains unknown. However, sources state that fans could witness a LeBron James and Kyrie Irving reunion in LA.

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The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to rebuild a team around James – this has been their motive since the beginning of their season. They made their first move by acquiring Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards in place of Kendrick Nunn. As per reports, they are set to make one more move by 9th February, the day the trade window closes.

The Los Angeles Lakers look to pursue a Kyrie Irving deal

The discussion around the NBA champion amped up after James left a cryptic message online. With this in mind, a report by The Atheltic claimed that to acquire Irving, the Lakers have penned out a deal that includes Russell Westbrook and first-round draft picks in 2027 & 2029. In return, they expect Irving and another player from the Brooklyn Nets.

However, if the Lakers want to hold back on one of their picks and consider the value of the eight-time All-Star, the Nets could demand a few more players from the Lakers. The report stated that these players could be Austin Reaves and Max Christine.

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Reaves has an average of 10.8 points per game while Christine has an average of 3.8 points this season. Both have proved to be instrumental for the Lakers and are options for future investment. In the long run, these are two players the Lakers likely want to bank on. Hence the reports read, “The Lakers aren’t interested in including either in a potential package.”  

Latest reports leave the NBA world in chaos

Fans rushed to comment about this situation after the reports made rounds online. They yelled in disbelief that the Lakers were holding back on a critical scenario to acquire Irving. They believed the Lakers should get him, come what may. Some claimed that the option of retaining Raeves and Christine could turn ugly in the near future. Some wrote that while investing in the future is a good idea, Irving was worth every penny. They prayed for the front office to be smart about their next move.

Here are some of the reactions from NBA Twitter:

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Watch This Story – Years before calling himself the goat, LeBron James wanted to honor Michael Jordan, pushing NBA to take a huge step

What do you think the Lakers should do next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Written by:

Shriya Rajachandra

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Shriya Rajachandra is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. She earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism, Psychology, and Communicative English. Shriya previously interned at The New Indian Express, but her favorite journalist, Marcus Thompson motivated her to start writing about basketball.
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Edited by:

Veer Badani