Kyrie Irving's trade from Cleveland to Boston remains a sore subject for LeBron James more than a year later.
James reportedly tried to prevent the Irving trade from happening back in August of 2017, but to no avail. Irving, according to The Athletic, wanted a change of scenery so he would no longer have to play alongside James or be stuck with the Cavs roster when James departed. When told that was Irving's reasoning behind his trade request, James had a simple response.
“That’s not my problem. If that’s the case, that’s definitely not my problem,” James told The Athletic. “I never felt like I didn’t want to play with him. The only thing I tried to do is give him whatever I could and more.”
James also stated that there was no way he could kept Irving from being traded, as the deal had already been put through before word got to him that Irving wanted out.
“I think by the time it got to me he wanted to be traded, I think he was already gone,” James said. “He was already gone and it was up to the organization to do their job and try to keep him as well. The guy still had two years left on his contract. They didn’t have to give him up. It could’ve been repaired then. Bring him in, let’s see what happens. I don’t think his stock drops if he still comes to Cleveland, see what happens and at the trade deadline you could still do it then.”
While Irving's decision to leave Cleveland may have been James' problem a year ago, it isn't anymore. James is just starting to get comfortable in Los Angeles as he's averaged 36.5 points over his last four games with the Lakers.
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