Despite a tumultuous offseason after Kyrie Irving’s trade request became public, some of his former teammates were hopeful the 25-year-old star could work out his differences with the team and stay to take another crack at the Golden State Warriors, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
This glimmer of hope was eventually all for naught, as Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, giving the Cleveland Cavaliers a bundle of pieces to eke out a future in hopes of retaining LeBron James past this upcoming season.
While some opined that differences can often be worked out in the locker room, there are a few existential differences that simple cannot. One of these is role envy — a clear difference that Irving had with this team.
Going back just a few years prior, Irving was signed to a five-year, $94.3 million deal by former general manager David Griffin, one that lined up the promise of making him the centerpiece of this Cavaliers team.
A few weeks later, LeBron James’ decision to come back home threw a giant wrench in these plans, but ultimately succeeded in 2016, bringing the city of Cleveland its first-ever NBA championship. Even then, there were reports of Irving’s discontent and willingness to go elsewhere to pursue the rest of his basketball career.
A locker room is a fragile place, as one person’s discontent can throw off any existing chemistry between players, and while a few were hopeful that amends could be made between the King and Uncle Drew — the events that transpired yesterday afternoon were the best possible scenario for a franchise that hopes to elongate its dominance in the NBA.