Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving was shipped from the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team he was drafted to and won a championship with, after over a month of controversy following his trade request. Although it was later reported that the Cavaliers attempted to deal the All-Star even before the request was made, Irving was reportedly unhappy being in LeBron James’ shadow and wanted a chance to show what he can accomplish as the leader of his own team, along with him being unhappy with the departing of former general manager David Griffin.
However, even with the request, owner Dan Gilbert didn’t have to comply, as the guard still had two years left on his current contract, but Irving reportedly had a method to force Gilbert into making a dealingCava. Irving needed a follow-up procedure to his surgery from the injury he suffered in the 2015 NBA Finals, sources told Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The procedure wasn’t urgent, shown by Irving having arguably the best season of his career, but it would’ve eased the day-to-day pain and swelling of the injury.
LeBron James initially tried to get the Cavaliers to keep Irving, but once the team informed him of the threat of knee surgery, the team realized they had no other choice but to trade the point guard – a decision that didn’t sit well with the King at first, according to Vardon.
The report comes at an interesting time, as the Cavs seem to be falling apart after losing 11 of their last 15 games, and some of the team is doubting the Cavs chances of contending for a title. Along with locker room troubles, the Irving trade has looked more and more unfavorable on the Cavaliers end by the day, as point guard Isaiah Thomas has struggled since his return and wing Jae Crowder is being removed from the starting lineup in favor of Tristan Thompson after season-long struggles.