Shortly after the conclusion of the 2016-17 NBA season, reports began to surface which stated Kyrie Irving had requested a trade from Cleveland Cavaliers team owner Dan Gilbert and (then) general manager David Griffin in a private meeting.
News of Irving’s request for a trade came as a surprise to many, including his own teammates. What was his reason for wanting out? Did he simply want to cut his own path in the NBA jungle, or was there some kind of internal issue between he and LeBron James, as some analysts have speculated?
According to Iman Shumpert, who is still a close friend of Irving, there was no beef.
Via Joe Vardon of cleveland.com:
“(People say) it’s LeBron and Kyrie hate each other,” Shumpert said. “No, it’s two dudes that need the ball. LeBron needs the ball, Kyrie needs the ball, Kevin (Love) needs the ball. Swish (J.R. Smith) can’t shoot unless he has the ball. Kyle Korver can’t shoot unless he has the ball.
“I don’t think it’s (forget) LeBron,” Shumpert said, characterizing Irving’s trade request. “I think it’s more of, ‘I learned, we won together, it’s time for something different.'”
Shumpert, who said he had no hard feelings for Irving after hearing of his request, told Vardon that the Cavs could win the Larry O’Brien trophy without him, but he also said “it’s gonna be harder.”
As most hoops fans know, the Cavs are slated to host Irving’s new team, the Boston Celtics, on opening night (October 17th at 8:00 p.m. inside Quicken Loans Arena).
There may be a variety of reasons why Irving wanted a trade, but it seems a feud with the King was not one of them.
