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Amid LeBron James and Lakers’ Keen Interest, $90M Worth Former Teammate Finally Makes His Intentions Clear, per NBA Insider

Published 08/19/2022, 6:00 AM EDT

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The Los Angeles Lakers have been involved in huge trade talks all off-season long. None more so than with Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving. The Lakers have been trying to get Irving but no deal has been made so far. However, the former teammate of LeBron James seems to have made his intentions clear.

Irving has been in the news since the end of last season. Many expected the Nets to trade him away or Irving to decline his option. But Irving proved them all wrong by exercising his player option. Despite this, the rumors mills were still fresh that Irving may leave the Nets this season.

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And it took a massive bump when Irving made comments on LeBron James on a podcast. He spoke highly of his ex-teammate and many thought the rift between them was over. And he was even spotted in Los Angeles attending a WNBA game.

Kyrie Irving is set to stay despite interest from LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers

However, despite all the talk, Irving never made any comments or told the team he doesn’t want to play for them. And now he seems to have made his intentions clear.

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Senior NBA reporter Brian Windhorst said, “I think Kyrie is invested in being a Brooklyn Net next year…So from what I can gather, it appears he and the Nets are looking forward to meeting up in training camp.”

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Kyrie Irving has often said that he wants to build a legacy at the Nets. Despite all the noise he generates, Irving is a box office player and can arguably help any team to a championship. And it seems like he is ready to prove everyone wrong with his game.

The Lakers may need to search for alternative targets

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The Los Angeles Lakers have expressed heavy interest in Kyrie Irving since the start of the off-season. Reports suggest that LeBron James himself was pushing for a move to get Irving and encouraged the Lakers to get him. But now it seems like the Lakers will have to look elsewhere.

The Lakers seem to be offering Russell Westbrook to multiple teams but are not getting anything worthwhile in return. Reports suggest that the Lakers want Myles Turner and Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers in return for Westbrook, but that deal also seems to have stalled. The Lakers certainly cannot repeat last season’s disaster and will be keen to avoid that. Whether that happens through trading Westbrook or by making the adjustment with him.

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However, their main target looks set to remain at the Brooklyn Nets and fans will have to wait for the reunion of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.

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Written by:

Vishwesha Kumar

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Vishwesha Kumar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Holder of a Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, Vishwesha has been writing content for about 3 years now. He has been following the NBA for nearly 10 years, since first starting off in the year 2012.
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Edited by:

Veer Badani