LeBron James was reportedly 'devastated' upon learning of Kyrie Irving's trade request
Ezra Shaw/Getty
On Friday, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that Irving asked to be traded from the Cavs in a meeting with team owner Dan Gilbert.
According to Windhorst, Irving wishes to be the focal point of an offense and team and no longer wishes to play alongside James.
Windhorst initially reported that James was "blindsided and disappointed" upon learning of Irving's request, then reportedly added on ESPN later on that James was "devastated" by the news.
James' reported reaction to the news is understandable. James and Irving have formed a dynamic partnership over the past three years, with both players elevating their games in the 2016 Finals to overcome a 3-1 deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors. Though they lost the 2017 Finals to the Warriors, once again, both James and Irving put on explosive scoring performances to keep the Cavaliers in the series.
After losing Game 5 to the Warriors this year, Irving gave a passionate explanation of his love for working with James.
"He's freaking awesome. As a student of the game, it would be a disservice to myself if I didn't try to learn as much as possible while I'm playing with this guy.
...
"That's the type of guy that I want to be with every single time I'm going to war, because I know what to expect, and you stand your ground, too, with a leader like that. You don't want to take a step back. You move to the front line with a guy like that, and you want to bring your game up to another level.
"That's what I'm going to continue to do, because I know that if we continue to be with one another and keep utilizing one another, man, the sky's the limit."
Irving reportedly named the San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Miami Heat as potential trade destinations. Irving, unlike Carmelo Anthony, who has been involved in trade talks this offseason, does not have a no-trade clause, meaning he doesn't have final say over any trade.
Of course, the Cavs don't have to trade Irving at all. Irving is under contract for two more years, and the Cavs could decide to hold onto him in hopes of repairing the relationship.
Windhorst on ESPN: "LeBron was devastated, from what I understand... He learned this several days ago. This wasn't new to him today."
- Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) July 21, 2017
Windhorst adds: "Cavs have known about this for some time. We found out about it today. They have begun thinking through their reactions."
- Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) July 21, 2017
- We bought a house in Japan for $30,000. We'll have more land than we could afford in the US, and our kids will be more independent.
- Rumors Prince William is having an affair with Rose Hanbury are flooding social media again after Stephen Colbert waded into 'Katespiracy'
- CEO says he tried to hire an AI researcher from Meta, and was told to 'come back to me when you have 10,000 H100 GPUs'
- India can sustain 8% growth, even higher: RBI bulletin
- Zomato launches 'Pure Veg Mode' with vegetarian riders from eateries that don't serve meat
- Dalal Street investors become poorer by ₹4.86 lakh cr as markets tumble
- Housing markets remain strong in 2024, sales rise 20% across six metro cities in Q1
- Meet RCB’s WPL 2024 star Ellyse Perry, who played both football and cricket World Cups