Kyrie Irving shocked the NBA world when he requested to be traded away from LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers just one year removed from winning a championship. In the moment, most thought Irving was insane for not wanting to play alongside James anymore.
It had been the first time that any player had publicly not wanted to be teammates James, particularly one of Irving’s caliber. Cavaliers GM Koby Altman, who at the time had been hired just two days after the request, granted Irving his wish by sending him to the Boston Celtics.
Cleveland received a draft pick and other players, including Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder. Thomas was later traded to the Los Angeles Lakers as the Cavs attempted to remake their roster for a final push to the playoffs and NBA Finals appearance.
James and Cavaliers were again defeated by the Golden State Warriors, while Irving’s campaign came to an end early because of knee surgery.
Now heading into a second season with the Celtics, Irving hardly has any regret over requesting a trade to part with James, via Howard Beck of Bleacher Report:
“I think it was the best thing I’ve done, honestly.”
With James moving on to sign with the Lakers, many are expecting Irving and Boston to reign supreme in the Eastern Conference. As for his future, Irving recently expressed a desire to re-sign with the Celtics come fre agency.
However Irving’s move last year affects James remains to be seen. But what we can clearly say is that the decision paid appeared to have paid off for him and the trajectory of his career heading forward.
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