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NBA Trade Rumor: Celtics’ Guard Reveals He Was ‘Heavily Pursued’ By Los Angeles Lakers

Published 09/10/2020, 6:10 AM EDT

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The Boston Celtics began their round 2 campaign with a flying start as they won the two opening games. But the Raptors soon recaptured the lost rhythm and came firing. The two teams now stand at 3-3 and slated to play a knockout game coming Friday. 

The Celtics have their power duo in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Both youngsters in their early twenties are making an exemplary case for themselves. But they also have their two guards Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart performing well for them. Specifically, Kemba has been impressive in the NBA Playoffs 2020.

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Kemba Walker had big franchises looking for him last summer

Kemba was drafted as the ninth overall pick in 2011 by the Charlotte Bobcats (now Charlotte Hornets). He played for the Hornets for 8 seasons and entered 2 playoffs with them. But last summer in 2019, Kemba was seeking a move, and he had a variety of options to choose from. Reportedly, the teams like Los Angeles Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks, and the New York Knicks were heavily pursuing him.

According to reports, Kemba was “top target in free agency for the Lakers” but the things could not become official. 

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However, Cardiac Kemba was considering a move to the New York Knicks, NY being his hometown. He had told earlier, “I feel it’s always tough to go home and play for your hometown team because there are a lot of distractions, but I started to get really excited actually about the possibility.” He thought hard about it but finally settled for an offer from the Boston Celtics, which he felt was more exciting.

The deal worked out well for Kemba and the Boston Celtics

As a matter of fact, Kemba is having a great season by far. He reached in the conference semis with the Celtics after they had finished third in the regular season. The 6 ft tall star is averaging over 20 points per game with a 46.6% FG. He did not have a great Game 6, but the series has treated him pretty well lately. Watch a great pass from him-

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Interestingly, the Celtics could beat each of the teams hunting Kemba last summer. The Celtics in 2019-20 are 3-0 against the New York Knicks, 2-0 against the Mavs, and 1-1 against the Lakers. However, the one time they could beat the Lakers, they did it with style. They won 139-107 in a game where Kemba added 20 points.

So it is not too odd to say that Kemba must be loving the place he is in. No regrets for him!

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Written by:

Sourabh Singh

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Sourabh Singh is an NBA sports analyst for EssentiallySports, who has been working with the site since May 2020. Prior to this, he functioned as Managing Editor at WittyFeed, followed by a stint at Decathlon. The Sports Management graduate leads an active lifestyle, veering to the mountains for off-trail adventures.
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