Kyrie Irving Opting-In $36.5 Million With Brooklyn Nets

Kyrie Irving is opting into his $36.5 million option with the Brooklyn Nets for next season, he told The Athletic on Monday.

"Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow," Irving told The Athletic. "I've made my decision to opt in. See you in the fall. A11even."

Irving had created a list of teams he would have liked the Nets to consider working with on a sign-and-trade deal if they couldn't agree on terms for him to stay in Brooklyn, but the Los Angeles Lakers were the only team known to be interested, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

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Without the ability to find a sign-and-trade deal, Irving plans to exercise his player option, sources confirmed. He has until 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday to file the paperwork to opt in.

Irving, 30, averaged 27.4 points, 5.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds last season but played in only 29 regular-season games.

When he did play, Irving reminded everyone just how talented he still is, as evidenced by a stretch in March and April when he scored at least 40 points in four games, including 60 during a March 15 win over the Orlando Magic.

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30 famous people you might not know were college athletes

Stacker dug deep to find 30 celebrities who were previously college athletes. There are musicians, politicians, actors, writers, and reality TV stars. For some, an athletic career was a real, promising possibility that ultimately faded away due to injury or an alternate calling. Others scrapped their way onto a team and simply played for fun and the love of the sport. Read on to find out if your favorite actor, singer, or politician once sported a university jersey.

Filed Under: Basketball, Brooklyn Nets, ESPN, Kyrie Irving, NBA, The Athletic

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